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February 2006...
JUSC Update on the Small Cities Conference
The Joint Urban Studies Center (JUSC) will host the Conference on Small Cities on October 15-17, 2006 In keeping with the conference theme of Downtown Development, the majority of the meetings will be held in downtown Wilkes-Barre. The conference offers workshops, roundtable discussions, and academic research panels on a variety of subjects, all of which seek to raise questions and offer solutions to the problems facing small cities, particularly those related to revitalization and sustainability. The two and one-half day event anticipates drawing participants from all over the United States. A bus tour of the area will be scheduled, and several workshops are planned for the city of Scranton.
The principal keynote speaker will be William Hudnut III. In his 16-year tenure as Mayor of Indianapolis, he is credited with the revitalization of that city, as well as the successful organization of its regional governance. As Mayor of Indianapolis from 1976 to 1991, Hudnut advanced the city's new "Unigov" governance structure with Marion County, and facilitated the public-private partnership that precipitated the vigorous revitalization of the city’s downtown, which ultimately led to the emergence of Indianapolis as a major U.S. city. Upon his retirement as Mayor, Hudnut held positions at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, the Hudson Institute in Indianapolis, and the Civic Federation of Chicago. Since 1996, he has served as a senior resident fellow in Public Policy at the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in Washington, D.C.
Hudnut has authored several books, including Cities on the Rebound: A Vision for Urban America. His latest book, Halfway to Everywhere: A Portrait of America’s First Tier Suburbs, will be given to every paid attendee. Mr. Hudnut has graciously agreed to personally sign the book for all paid attendees who request it.
In addition to William Hudnut III, three additional keynote speakers are scheduled: Joel Kotkin, Irvine Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation and author of The City: A Global History and The New Geography: How the Digital Revolution is Reshaping the American Landscape; Bruce J. Katz, Vice President of the Brookings Institution, Director of the Metropolitan Policy Program and author of Taking the High Road and Redefining Urban and Suburban America; and Dr. Don Kettl, Professor of Political Science, Director of the Fels Center of Government at the University of Pennsylvania and author of System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics and The Transformation of Government.
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