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Conferences

The International Urban Fellows annual conference, built around a timely topic in urban policy, is a vital, ongoing part of the Fellows' Institute for Policy Studies experience. It is an opportunity for Fellows to re-establish connections, continue their exchange of expertise, and develop fresh insights into urban problems. Prospective fellows also attend. The conferences are structured to provide an understanding of the local situation and challenges in the host city, comparisons to other cities, and ample opportunity to exchange views and develop recommendations for action.

The conference site is chosen by the Fellows alumni based on proposals from prospective hosts, who are former Fellows. In 1997, the conference in Heerlen, the Netherlands, examined economic development in cross-border regions, and the 1998 conference in Lodz, Poland considered east-west comparisons in urban and regional development policy. In 1999, in Cork and Dublin, Ireland, the focus was on the effects of economic growth on cities using a cross-national context.

Every 10 years, the annual conference returns to Baltimore. It is a time when former Fellows can see what progress has been made since their fellowship in the city, and discuss issues of current concern to Baltimore and other cities and regions around the world. For the 75 international urban experts who attended the conference in 2000, Baltimore is a benchmark, a city that has sparked new ideas about urban revitalization. The "Baltimore in Transition" conference was an opportunity for Fellows to apply their expertise to the city's most prominent challenges.

In 2001, the Fellows gathered in Mersin and Istanbul, Turkey to focus on preserving the natural and manmade heritage of the Turkish Mediterranean coast while guiding orderly development in these fast-growing regions. At the behest of the host, the regional planning agency for the Ile-de-France region, the 2002 Paris conference highlighted public safety challenges and the strategies, including urban planning, being used to address them. In the 2003 conference in Split and Durbonvik, Croatia, the conference themes involved economic development strategies, particularly tourism.

Findings of the Fellows are summarized on site for local policymakers and in a written report issued after the conference.

Click below for information regarding:

2007 Conference in Edinburgh and Glasgow
2006 Conference in Barcelona
2005 Conference in Zurich
2004 Conference in Padova, Italy
2003 Conference in Split, Croatia
2002 Conference in Paris
2001 Conference in Turkey
2000 Conference in Baltimore
1999 Conference in Ireland