ECOCITY WORLD SUMMIT August 23-26, 2011 in Montreal Canada

CONFERENCE TRACKS

Interconnecting Themes
The Ecocity World Summit program is organized around six interconnecting themes that explore leading edge research and showcase practical solutions that contribute to the development and management of Ecocities. All speakers will present lessons from their specific area of expertise and explain how their work relates to the broad range of issues - social, economic, and biophysical - that are integrally related in the Ecocity concept.
Special crosscutting panels have also been developed that focus on the interconnections between several themes to offer a holistic view of Ecocity principles. Examples include: design of living buildings in sustainable communities; new technology for eco-infrastructure such as waste to energy facilities; planning solutions for ecomobility; economic strategies to sustain ecocities; and citizen engagement and empowerment.
Our goal: a shared agenda for building Ecocities. Conference participants will have the opportunity to expand their networks, to learn from innovative research and experiences elsewhere in the world, to contribute to the evolution of ecocity thought and the ecocity movement, and to leave the conference with new knowledge, tools and approaches that they can adapt to the contexts of their own cities and countries.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ECOCITY
Cities must be part of the solution to climate change: up to 70% of GHG's are generated in cities, home to more than 50% of the world's population. An ecocity will address climate change by meeting the challenges of urban sprawl, mass transit, waste reduction and treatment, as well as building standards, materials and design. Ecocities will also become more flexible and resilient to adapt to the threats and increased risks to infrastructure resulting from climate change. Sessions in this theme area will focus on how climate change challenges can best be addressed by ecocities. The sub-themes are: combining mitigation and adaptive strategies to address climate change; housing, urban design and climate change; economics of climate change in cities: impacts and opportunities. This theme will be of particular interest to those who provide technologies which reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in cities.

ECOMOBILITY, URBAN PLANNING, PUBLIC SPACE
How should we organise cities and suburbs to enable sustainable forms of mobility? How can we activate public space? Cities and suburbs are dynamic entities-constantly in transformation. They are ceaselessly being recalibrated and adapted, like any ecosystem, to their changing populations. The transformative qualities of urban areas present ongoing challenges and opportunities. Many metropolitan areas are now automobile-dependent because they have been built and rebuilt to favour motoring. Other modes of travel, such as walking and cycling, are not only poorly-supported, but often dangerous. We have not yet come to terms with dominant approaches to planning, which have turned so much urban space over to the automobile. We must instead strive for conviviality in how we meet our basic needs, namely housing, food, self-development, leisure, and transportation. The challenge is fundamentally a question of design. Sessions in this theme area will explore the following key questions. How and why should we rethink the organisation of our cities in a long-term perspective while taking transformative steps in the short-term? On what inspiring examples can we draw, and what are the conditions for their emergence? What outcomes can we anticipate, and with what tradeoffs? What roles can planning and design play in developing realistic strategies to encourage walking, cycling, and the use of mass transit, as well as the implementation of these strategies?

GOVERNANCE AND DEMOCRACY IN THE ECOCITY
Transforming our cities into ecocities implies a new vision of not only their physical form, but also of the way they are governed. It will be necessary to re-think the roles and responsibilities of municipal government, as well as those of other orders of government, to bring them into line with an integrated vision of sustainable development. Citizens must also be oriented to new and more significant forms of participation in urban planning and management. Sessions in this theme area will be guided by three sub-themes: civic involvement; social change and innovation; and government and governance. A number of key questions will be explored. What are the political and administrative conditions required to effect these changes? What experiences do we have for guidance?

ECONOMICS OF THE ECOCITY
What is the purpose of the economy in an ecocity, and how do we define terms like "sustainable development," "prosperity," "well-being," and "quality of life" in line with that purpose? Three key sub-themes build on this foundational question. First, how can we favour local economies? Here, we will examine ways to keep wealth and prosperity within an ecocity as we consider how its inhabitants feed and entertain themselves. Important challenges must be addressed in regard to financing the economy, confronting the trend toward globalization, balancing public and private sector engagement and managing relations between the ecocity and its surrounding regions. The Transition Town and post-carbon city social movements may produce instructive new approaches. Second, how can we encourage decent work in an ecocity? Here, we will consider green jobs and possible new modes of work, such as work sharing and shorter work weeks, as well as sectors that are best suited to an ecocity. Third, how should we manage energy and materials needs of an ecocity? Here, we will consider issues related to systems of production, consumption and waste management, and the details of how a low-carbon economy would function in an ecocity. What, for example, is the ecological footprint of an ecocity? What systems of water management and wastewater treatment are best suited to ecocities, bearing in mind their geographical setting? How are economic and environmental prosperity maintained in an ecocity?
HEALTH AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
An emerging body of research shows that urban living conditions influence the health of individuals and populations and that the uneven distribution of environmental conditions, resources and amenities in urban areas result in social inequalities in health outcomes. This new field of public health study touches on several subjects including but not limited to air quality, urban heat islands, pedestrian and cyclist safety, active transportation, water quality, obesity, heart and lung disease, and mental health. This theme area will focus on ways and means of urban development that result in health promoting environments for all (e.g., acting on building, street and sidewalk configurations, quality of public spaces, greening of public spaces, promoting social engagement and social cohesion, etc.). Specific sub-themes include: (i) determinants and processes through which urban living conditions influence health and social inequalities in health; (ii) interventions, programs, and policies to improve urban living conditions which improve health and reduce social inequalities in health; and (iii) measuring and evaluating the impact of interventions, programs, and policies designed to improve living conditions and which improve health and reduce social inequalities in health.

BIODIVERSITY AND URBAN AGRICULTURE
Biodiversity, green spaces and urban agriculture are inter-related concepts which contribute (directly and indirectly) to our general well-being: to health, the environment, and the quality of our lives and that of the landscape around us. Over the past few years, science has made possible many advances in social, economic and ecological services. Among these are solar shading and the cooling effect, the capture of rainwater and atmospheric pollutants, and food safety. Furthermore, it is widely recognized that protecting the greatest possible number of living species is necessary for the preservation of healthy ecosystems. With community outreach, these efforts have extended to involvement in our economic health, taxation system and social development. Despite recognition of the value that biodiversity, green spaces and urban agriculture have delivered, a part of this heritage still requires development, solidification and enhancement.

Conference Tracks
1. NORTHERN CLIMATE CITIES: ECOCITY POLICY, PLANNING AND DESIGN
2. RE-BUILDING BETTER IN HAITI AND OTHER POST-DISASTER ZONES
3. ECOCITY MONTRÉAL
4. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT/CITIZEN AND YOUTH PARTICIPATION
5. MEASURING ECOCITY PROGRESS: INDICATORS, STANDARDS AND BEST PRACTICES

6. CLEANTECH FOR ECOCITIES
Clean technologies actively contribute to the development of greener and prosperer cities and regions. In accelerating the design, development, adoption, commercialization and export of clean technologies, clusters in this area play a key role in the emergence of genuine ecocities. Organized by Ecotech Québec, in partnership with the Global Cleantech Cluster Association (GCCA), this track is the first international meeting of GCCA. Open to all Ecocity participants, the meeting will centre on sharing of best practices and developing win-win strategic partnerships between stakeholders.