National conference to focus on cities of the future

Participants from academia, architecture, planning, real estate and government are invited to gather in Portland for the inaugural Urbanism Next Conference at the Oregon Convention Center next month.

Urbanism Next is a University of Oregon research initiative focused on understanding how new technologies such as autonomous vehicles, e-commerce and the sharing economy affect land use, street design, land valuation and pressures on sprawl.

The conference, slated for March 5-7, will be an opportunity for stakeholders to engage in a conversation about how cities can best prepare for the changes these emerging technologies create.

The University of Oregon is partnering with the American Institute of Architects, the American Planning Association, the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Urban Land Institute to present the conference. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.; Robin Chase of Shared Mobility Principles for Livable Cities and Jeff Tumlin of transportation consulting firm Nelson\Nygaard will be among the speakers.

On the second day of the conference there will be 17 workshops, each focusing on a unique aspect of the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies. Check out the schedule of presentations, workshops and other conference events at www.urbanismnext.com/schedule, and register at www.urbanismnext.com/registration.