Dear colleague,
I write to alert you of an upcoming conference, Caring for Our Common Home: Sustainable, Just Cities & Settlements, that I think may be of interest to you. I have been attending the International Making Cities Livable Conferences (IMCL) for twenty-odd years, and currently serve as a member of the Advisory Board. The inclusive, multidisciplinary nature of these Conferences attracted me at first, and their breadth and depth kept me coming back. The emphasis was on developing a deep understanding of the contemporary successes of our most beloved and successful urban environments, not simply as aesthetic pattern books to be copied, but as complex, living organisms, and using those lessons to inform our own efforts. Churchill famously said “We shape our buildings, thereafter, they shape us”. IMCL believes that this applies to our cities as well; they shape the patterns of daily life, our physical and mental health, our opportunities for education and recreation, and the physical and cultural heritage we leave for our children.
IMCL was founded over thirty years ago as a genuinely interdisciplinary endeavor, and the format of these Conferences was developed to encourage meaningful exchanges between the myriad of disciplines required to envision, create and preserve a richly nurturing urban environment. Each Conference has a theme, but papers and projects will represent the broadest spectrum of examples and proposals of how to make our cities more livable. Conferences have always been held in exemplars of the Livable City, but the selection of Rome for the 2016 Conference is especially appropriate, in light of the recent Papal Laudato Si’ Encyclical on Our Common Home.
I urge you to consider submitting a paper to the Conference, submitting a project to the Design Competition, or just attending the 53rd Conference, which is to be held in Rome, Italy, June 13-17, 2016. Simply click on http://www.livablecities.org for details of how to submit and register. I can promise you it will be rewarding. As well as a great time in a great city.
Sincerely,
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Ferdinand Johns FAIA
Professor Emeritus
Distinguished Professor ACSA
Oak Harbor WA
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