Inaugural UChicago Urban Event Features Mark Templeton, Sponsored by Kreisman Initiative
University Hosts Regional Conference on Housing and Urban Development
It was standing room only at Ida Noyes Hall on March 31, as more than 250 scholars, practitioners, government officials, advocates and local residents interested in improving affordable housing and addressing urban issues discussed a broad set of topics during a conference entitled “Learning from the City.”
It was the first of five national convenings to prepare for this fall’s U.N. Habitat III global summit in Quito, Ecuador. “Learning from the City” was also the inaugural event of UChicago Urban, a new initiative to capture and amplify the University’s array of urban research, practice and engagement activities.
The United Nations initiated the first global Habitat summit in 1976 to create dialogue and spur large-scale efforts to address the lack of affordable housing worldwide. Habitat II was held 20 years later, in 1996. Now, the main goal of Habitat III is to share best strategies and best practices as well as review some of the most ambitious ways to provide decent homes and communities for citizens. The University of Chicago serves on the National Advisory Committee for Habitat III.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the University’s Office of Civic Engagement, along with UChicago Urban, the conference reflected the current framework for building stronger neighborhoods: Programs and policies need to incorporate an interrelated mix of issues, from place-based development to transportation, from climate change to arts and culture.
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