The draft program is published and final preparations are made, as city leaders, experts and scholars from around the world prepare to gather to exchange effective new tools and strategies in a beautiful venue and livability case study
The Maison des Arts, our venue located on the central square of Le Plessis-Robinson, Place Jane-Rhodes.
LE PLESSIS-ROBINSON, FRANCE - Final preparations are under way for the 58th International Making Cities Livable conference in the fascinating Paris suburb of Le Plessis-Robinson - an instructive case study of suburban retrofit from a grim "dormitory banlieue" to a mixed, walkable, livable city. Leaders from many other city success stories will gather with researchers and other experts to share lessons and tools, including mayors, senior staff, economic development experts, researchers, and NGO heads. The three-day conference will feature 6 plenaries and 18 breakout sessions and workshops, with a rich mix of timely topics and explorations of new tools and strategies. The daytime activities will be supplemented with evening receptions, an awards dinner, tours, and ample time to mingle and share ideas.
Topics include 15-minute cities, lessons from COVID, climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation, tactical urbanism and retrofitting, affordability and equity, placemaking and quality of life, livable transportation and walkability, health and well-being, public space and its importance, and much more.
The IMCL was founded in 1985 by Henry L. Lennard, Ph.D., Professor of Medical Sociology and Social Psychology at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, and Suzanne H. Crowhurst Lennard, Ph.D.(Arch.), Professor of Social Aspects of Architecture and Urban Design, University of California, Berkeley. Since their founding, the conferences have been held annually in Europe and the United States.
One-day tickets are available, as well as student and NGO discounts.
For more information, visit the conference website at https://www.imcl.online/2022-paris. Please join us!
The full draft program is below:
58th INTERNATIONAL MAKING CITIES LIVABLE
Le Plessis-Robinson, France * May 18-20, 2022
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Tuesday, May 17 (All events located or begin at Maison des Arts)
1:00 PM Registration opens (Until 6PM)
2:00 PM Tour of Le Plessis-Robinson
(Online registration required, https://www.imcl.online)
5:00 PM Tour ends
Wednesday, May 18 (Daytime events at Maison des Arts)
8:00 AM Registration re-opens
9:00 AM Welcome (Théâtre de L'Allegria; EN/FR w/ headphones)
Peter Elmlund, IMCL Director
Jacques Perrin, Mayor of Le Plessis-Robinson
Le Plessis-Robinson, the city rebuilt on the suburbs
Phillipe Pemezec, Senator and Former Mayor
9:20 AM PLENARY 1 (Théâtre de L'Allegria; EN/FR)
“Achieving the 15-minute City – And Suburb”
“The 15-minute City in Paris and Beyond”
Professor Carlos Moreno
Scientific director of ETI Chair, Panthéon Sorbonne University – IAE, Paris, France
“The Walkable Suburb”
Christopher Leinberger
Professor Emeritus, George Washington University, USA
“Walkable Places and Beautiful Architecture”
Xavier Bohl
Architect, Atelier Xavier Bohl, Port Grimaud, France
Panel Discussion
Moderator: Michael Mehaffy, IMCL Executive Director
10:30 AM NETWORKING COFFEE
11:00 AM PLENARY 2 (Théâtre de L'Allegria; EN/FR)
“Learning from COVID: Cities and Public Space”
“Why Public Space Matters”
Professor Setha Low
Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Psychology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, USA
“The Intentional City: Public Space and the Civic Commons”
Professor David Brain
Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies, New College of Florida, Sarasota, Florida, USA
“Loneliness, Social Isolation and Public Space”
Jing Jing
Researcher, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Panel Discussion
Moderator: Michael Mehaffy, IMCL Executive Director
12:30 PM IN MEMORIAM
Christopher Alexander, Mary Campbell Gallagher
Book Launch: Paris Without Skyscrapers
12:45 PM Lunch (on your own)
2:30 PM BREAKOUT SESSIONS
BREAKOUT 1:
SYMPOSIUM: “Tall Buildings Reconsidered”
(Théâtre de L'Allegria; EN/FR)
Dr. Rachelle Alterman, Professor, Urban Planning and Law, The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and Research Fellow of the Neaman Institute for National Policy Research, Haifa, IL
Dr. Michael Mehaffy, Executive Director, Lennard Institute / IMCL, and Academic Chair, Future of Places Research Network
Other participants TBD
BREAKOUT 2:
“15-minute Cities (and Suburbs) for ALL:
Policy and Economics” (Part 1 of double session; EN only)
(Salle de Conférence – Level -1)
“Canopy Freeriding: How Tree Costs and Risks Burden a Low-income Community”
Douglas Shoemaker, Director of Research and Outreach, CAGIS at UNC Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
“Measuring Gentrification: a Small Area Estimation approach with application to New York City”
Glen Johnson, Associate Professor, CUNY School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA
“The Humble Sidewalk: Essential Urban Investment for Inclusion, Equality and Accessibility”
Steven Wright, Writer-Planner, Miami, Florida, USA
“A Poverty Reduction Campaign in Toronto, Canada: Identifying Challenges and Reforms to Enhance Livability”
Dan Zuberi, Professor, University of Toronto, Canada
Moderator: Steven Wright
BREAKOUT 3:
“Lessons from COVID – And Beyond” (EN only)
(Salon Palladio – Level +2)
“The Influence of Medical Contributions on Urban Hygienism in the Cities of London, Paris and Lisbon Since the 19th Century”
Ricardo Latoeiro, CEO, NOA Arquitectos, and Ph.D. Student in Urbanism, Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
“Promoting Healthy Neighborhoods: Lessons from COVID-19”
Sarah Scheiber, Lecturer and Researcher, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
Wendy Jo Mifsud, Lecturer, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
“Co-Live, Co-Work, Co-Play: The Healthy City”
Maria Syed, Designer, New York, New York, USA
“Creative Class Theory Revisited”
Craig Thomas, Director, Planning & Development, City of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada
Moderator: Sarah Scheiber
3:45 PM NETWORKING COFFEE
4:15 PM BREAKOUT SESSIONS
BREAKOUT 4:
“Tactical Urbanism and Retrofitting” (EN only)
(Théâtre de L'Allegria)
“Suburban Transformation Case Study: Chevy Chase Lake”
Joshua Arcurio, David M. Schwarz Architects, Washington, D.C., USA
Reimagining Historic Places: Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings and Public Spaces
Karim Youssef, Assistant Professor, California Baptist University, Riverside, California, USA
“Bicycle Nodes as Urban Acupuncture: Surgical Planning from Private to Public, Towards Promoting Cycling Across Ain Sohkna, Red Sea”
Momen El-Husseiny, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, American University in Cairo, Egypt
Carmel - A Suburban Retrofit Masterclass
Henry Mestetsky, Director of Redevelopment, City of Carmel, Indiana
Moderator: Henry Mestetsky
BREAKOUT 5:
“15-minute Cities (and Suburbs) for ALL:
Culture and Place” (Part 2 of double session; EN only)
(Salle de Conférence – Level -1)
“Publicness as a Myth: Individuality, Profit, Health, and Self-Affirmation in Framing Urbanism”
Adhya Anirban, Associate Professor, Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan USA
“The Mixed City: The Interconnecteness Between the Physical Environment and the Experience of Communities”
Anne Corlin, Assistant Professor, Aarhus School of Architecture, Aarhus, Denmark
“Empowering Children Through Co-creation: First Steps in Urban Independence”
Beata Patuszynska, Author, cityforchildren.pl, Warsaw, Poland
“Designing the Invisible: Sensorial Dimensions of Public Spaces”
Rennie Tang, Associate Professor, California State Polytechnic University Pomona, California, USA
Moderator: Rennie Tang
BREAKOUT 6:
SYMPOSIUM: Environmental Structure Research Group (ESRG) (EN only)
(Salon Palladio – Level +2)
Dr. Michael Mehaffy, IMCL, and others TBD
5:30 PM END
7:00 PM Welcome Reception (Hosted by the City of Le Plessis-Robinson, at the Jardin du Moulin Fidèle – 11 min. walk)
Thursday, May 19 (Daytime events at Maison des Arts)
8:00 AM Registration re-opens
9:00 AM Welcome (Théâtre de L'Allegria; EN only)
Peter Elmlund, IMCL Director
Robert Adam, Chair, INTBAU
9:10 AM PLENARY 3 (Théâtre de L'Allegria; EN only)
“Architecture and the Edges of Public Space”
“The Architecture of Urban Rooms: Why the Edge Matters”
Ben Bolgar, Senior Director, The Prince’s Foundation, London, UK
“Urban Morphometrics and the Beauty of Buildings”
Professor Sergio Porta, Professor of Urban Design, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
Panel Discussion
Moderator: Michael Mehaffy, Executive Director, IMCL
10:10 AM NETWORKING COFFEE
10:40 AM PLENARY 4 (Théâtre de L'Allegria; EN only)
“Tools and Strategies for a New Urban Agenda”
“Forging – and Implementing – a New Urban Agenda”
Laura Petrella, Chief of Planning, Finance and Economy, UN-Habitat, Nairobi, Kenya
“Recognizing and Avoiding the Dangers of Business-as-Usual”
Dr. Rachelle Alterman, Professor, Urban Planning and Law, The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and Research Fellow of the Neaman Institute for National Policy Research, Haifa, IL
“Tools for Implementing the Public Space Agenda: Space Syntax and Pedestrian / Cycling Dynanism”
Ricardo Arturo Fernández Gómez, Director of Planning and Development, State of Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico
Panel Discussion
Moderator: Peter Elmlund, Director, IMCL
11:40 AM NETWORKING COFFEE
12:00 PM SPEED PRESENTATIONS (Théâtre de L'Allegria; EN)
A series of short “Pecha Kucha” style talks by conference participants. Sign up by emailing Ryan Locke, Moderator, at ryanslocke@gmail.com.
1:00 PM Lunch (on your own)
2:30 PM BREAKOUT SESSIONS
BREAKOUT 7:
Architecture and the Edges of Public Space (EN)
(Salle 1 du cinema – mezzanine level)
“Midwest Nice: Designing Community Resilience by Leveraging Public Spaces and Spatial Networks in the Heartland”
Suzan Hampton, PhD Student and Teaching Assistant, University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
“Teaching the Public Face of Architecture”
John Pittari, Associate Professor, Auburn University, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Alex Krumdieck, Director, Urban Studio, Auburn University, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
“Reframing Successful Public Space Through Forming the Edges of Livable Vibrant and Healthy Urban Corridors”
Felia Srinaga, Lecturer, University of Pelita Harapan, Karawaci-Tangerang, Indonesia
“The Edge: Architecture as Background, Proscenium, Object and Panopticon”
Christine Storry, Architect, Utopia Architects, Leura, New South Wales, Australia
Moderator: Suzan Hampton
BREAKOUT 8:
Climate Resilience, Adaptation and Mitigation: Urban Greening (Part 1 of double session; EN)
(Salon Canaletto – Level -1)
“Oriental Park: A Biodiversity and Landscape Experimental Park in the City of Porto, PT”
Claudia Fernandes, Professor, University of Porto, Portugal
“Automated global assessment of urban green space accessibility in the light of SDG 11.7”
Anna Kovacs-Györi, Postdoc researcher, IDA Lab - PLUS Salzburg, Austria
“M_NEX Detroit: Engaging Circular Systems, Urban Agricultural Systems, and New Formats of Public Space”
Geoffrey Thün, Professor of Architecture / Associate Vice President for Research: Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, USA
“Greening Charlotte, NC: Trees as a Litmus Test and Non-Fungible Resource for Urban Heat Island”
Veronica Westendorff, Graduate Student, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA
Moderator: Anna Kovacs-Györi
BREAKOUT 9:
WORKSHOP: International Placemaking Network
(Salon Palladio – Level +2)
Ethan Kent, Executive Director, PlacemakingX, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Ryan Smolar, Initiator, PlacemakingUS, Los Angeles, California, USA
Madeleine Spencer, Initiator, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, PlacemakingUS, Santa Ana, California, USA
Sherryl Muriente, Initiator, PlacemakingFL, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Erica Dorn, Founder, Suburb Futures, Portland, Oregon, USA
3:45 PM NETWORKING COFFEE
4:15 PM BREAKOUT SESSIONS
BREAKOUT 10:
“Implementing the New Urban Agenda” (EN)
(Salle 1 du cinéma – mezzanine level)
“Implementing the New Urban Agenda: Youth-Led City Building”
Laura Clemons, Certified Floodplain Manager, Force of Nature Solutions, Wharton, Texas, USA
“Enabling Community-Led Growth with the Lean Urbanism Toolkit”
Brian Falk, Director, The Project for Lean Urbanism and Center for Applied Transect Studies, Miami, FL, USA
“Rapid Building of Beautiful, Durable, Affordable Places: Case Study of District Testaccio, Rome”
Ettore Mazzola, Professor of Architecture, The University of Notre Dame, Rome, IT
“Bangkok New Urban Agenda Through Urban Living Lab Model: Case Studies of Urban Studies Lab”
Chamnarn Tirapas, Assistant Director, Urban Studies Lab, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
Moderator: Ettore Mazzola
BREAKOUT 11:
“Climate Resilience, Adaptation and Mitigation: Toward a Livable Future” (Part 2 of double session; EN)
(Salon Canaletto – Level -1)
“Livable Cities through Environmentally Responsive Urban Policy, Programming, and Design”
Ric. Abramson, FAIA, City Architect, City of West Hollywood, California
“A New Unified Urban Paradigm in an Age of Climate Change”
Julio Cesar Perez Hernandez, Associate Professor, School of Architecture, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, USA
Climate Change, Cities, and the Green New Deal
Joanna Robinson, Professor of Sociology, Glendon College, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
“Catchment Neighbourhoods - A Concept for Climate Adapting Urban Areas”
Katrina Wiberg, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Aarhus School of Architecture, Aarhus, Denmark
Moderator: Julio Cesar Perez Hernandez
BREAKOUT 12:
WORKSHOP: International Placemaking Network
(Salle Palladio – Level +2)
Ethan Kent, Executive Director, PlacemakingX, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Ryan Smolar, Initiator, PlacemakingUS, Los Angeles, California, USA
Madeleine Spencer, Initiator, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, PlacemakingUS, Santa Ana, California, USA
Sherryl Muriente, Initiator, PlacemakingFL, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Erica Dorn, Founder, Suburb Futures, Portland, Oregon, USA
5:30 PM END
7:00 PM Awards Dinner (EN/FR; Ticketed and invited guests, purchase tickets online; location is the Jardin du Moulin Fidèle – 11 min. walk from Maison des Arts)
Friday, May 20 (All events at Maison des Arts)
8:00 AM Registration re-opens
9:00 AM Welcome (EN)
(Salle 1 du cinéma – mezzanine level)
Peter Elmlund, IMCL Director
9:10 AM PLENARY 5 (EN)
(Salle 1 du cinéma – mezzanine level)
“Learning from Le Plessis-Robinson – and Carmel”
“The Carmel Story”
Jim Brainard
Mayor, City of Carmel, Indiana, USA
“The Le Plessis-Robinson Story”
Marc and Nada Breitman
Breitman and Breitman Architects, Paris, France
“The Economics of Retrofitting”
Henry Mestetsky
Director of Redevelopment, City of Carmel, Indiana, USA
Panel Discussion
Moderator: Jim Brainard
10:10 AM NETWORKING COFFEE
10:40 AM PLENARY 6 (EN)
(Salle 1 du cinéma – mezzanine level)
“Learning from Each Other”
“The Bristol Story”
George Ferguson
Past President of the Royal Institute of British Architects and first elected Mayor of Bristol, UK
“New Urbanism in Los Angeles, and Beyond”
Rick Cole
Executive Director, Congress for the New Urbanism, Washington, D.C., USA
“The Value of Sharing our Experiences”
Thomas Small
CEO, Culver City Forward, and former Mayor, City of Culver City, California, USA
Panel Discussion
Moderator: George Ferguson
11:40 AM NETWORKING COFFEE
12:00 PM SPEED PRESENTATIONS (EN)
(Salle 1 du cinéma – mezzanine level)
A series of short “Pecha Kucha” style talks by conference participants. Sign up by emailing Ryan Locke, Moderator, at ryanslocke@gmail.com.
1:00 PM Lunch (on your own)
2:30 PM BREAKOUT SESSIONS
BREAKOUT 13:
Building 15-minute Neighbourhoods (EN)
(Salle 1 du cinéma – mezzanine level)
“Reinventing Public Housing: Restoring the Infrastructure of Community that Modernism Left Out”
Frederick Biehle, Professor, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, USA
“Promoting Healthy Neighborhoods: Lessons from COVID-19”
Mark Moreno, Professor of Architecture, Andrews University
“A Downtown Reimagined: Visions and Strategies to Restore the Historic Squares, Districts, and Public Spaces of Downtown Santa Rosa, California”
David Woltering, Community Planning Consultant, Woltering Community Planning, Santa Rosa, California, USA
Moderator: John Burrell, Burrell Architects, London UK
BREAKOUT 14:
“Placemaking Tools and Strategies” (EN)
(Salle de conference, level -1)
“The Park-to-Bay Project : Empowering people in San Diego”
Noura Bishay, Social Impact Urban Designer, NPB Design Studio, San Diego, CA, USA
“A Typology for Canal Oriented Development: A Blueprint for Water-Driven Real Estate Development in Non-Water Cities”
Stephen Buckman, Associate Professor of Real Estate Development, Clemson University, Greenville South Carolina, USA
“Between Formality and Informality: Recording Urban Rhythms”
Susan Fitzgerald, Assistant Professor, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
“Placemaking Under Bridges Through Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI): Examining the Aurora Bridge Project”
Ellen Southard, Founder, SiteStory LLC, Seattle, Washington, USA
Moderator: Susan Fitzgerald
BREAKOUT 15:
WORKSHOP: Leading Urbanism in Times of Chaos (EN)
(Salon Canaletto, Level -1)
Lizzy Caston, Director, Community Development & Strategic Partnerships, Portland, Oregon, USA
Michelle DePass, Senior Equity and Inclusion Specialist, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Portland, Oregon, USA
Michael Mehaffy, Executive Director, Lennard Institute / IMCL and former consultant to the City of Portland
3:45 PM NETWORKING COFFEE
4:15 PM BREAKOUT SESSIONS
BREAKOUT 16:
“Livable Streets and Transport” (EN)
(Salle 1 du cinéma – mezzanine level)
“Livable Streets Revisited”
Bruce Appleyard, Associate Professor, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
“Navigating the System: A Wayfinding Strategy for Guadalajara’s New Transit System”
Monica Castaneda Chavez, Project Manager, Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works, State of Jalisco, Mexico
MaaS for the masses: Potential transit accessibility gains and required policies under Mobility-as-a-Service
Marc Hasselwander, Research Associate, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin, Germany
The Factors of Walkability: An Assessment of Four Smart Citiies in India
Aarti Desai, Research Scholar, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat, Gujarat, India
Moderator: Bruce Appleyard
BREAKOUT 17:
WORKSHOP: Christopher Alexander, Pattern Languages and the Nature of Order (EN)
(Salle de conference, level -1)
Robert Krasser, Architect, Architect, Salzburger Inst. für Raumordnung und Wohnen Salzburg, Austria
Abby Tabor , Senior Lecturer / Wallscourt Fellow, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
Michael Mehaffy, Executive Director, Lennard Institute/IMCL
BREAKOUT 18:
WORKSHOP: Leading Urbanism in Times of Chaos (EN)
(Salon Canaletto, Level -1)
Lizzy Caston, Director, Community Development & Strategic Partnerships, Portland, Oregon, USA
Michelle DePass, Senior Equity and Inclusion Specialist, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Portland, Oregon, USA
5:30 PM END
7:00 PM Closing Reception (EN/FR)
(Salon Palladio – Level +2)
All are invited for drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and music for a memorable evening
Saturday, May 20 (Begins at Maison des Arts)
9:00 AM Tour of Le Plessis-Robinson
(Online registration required, https://www.imcl.online)
12:00 PM Tour ends