Distressed Cities – Conference, Videos & Edited Volume (forthcoming)

[This just in from Beth Offenbacker at Virginia Tech]

A progressive, generative, interdisciplinary exchange

SPIA initiates Ridenour Faculty Fellowship conference & research series.

A different conference format generating new approaches to the pressing problems of our time.

Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs initiates a conference and research series promoting interdisciplinary discussion. The purpose is to push through disciplinary limitations in understanding social phenomena and to suggest solutions to problems.  The first conference took place in April 2012 and focused on distressed cities.

Our approach is twofold.  First we advance a progressive, interdisciplinary exchange during each Ridenour Faculty Fellowship conference.  Second, we build a research network between scholars, artists, and practitioners aimed at generating insights for practice and publications from research inspired by the conferences.

Click here to watch brief videos highlighting our Distressed Cities conference speakers. Robert Beauregard, Columbia University, Talks About Depopulation and the Promise of Growth John Provo, Virginia Tech, Talks About Development and Density Margaret Cowell, Virginia Tech, Talks About Resilience Derek Hyra, Virginia Tech, Talks About Displacement, Development and Extrapolation Yang Zhang, Virginia Tech, Talks About Urban Planning Solutions and Culture …and others. Visit our website to subscribe to updates, including news about our forthcoming edited volume on Distressed Cities and also our next Ridenour conference in 2013.