A Place in the World: Geography, Identity, and Civic Engagement in Modern America

For most of human history, “place” was something simple and obvious, central to one’s identity. That is no longer true today. But have we grasped the full implications of that change, and its consequences for our lives? “A Place in the World” is a unique conference to be held in a unique place, Los Angeles

March 11-12, 2011

Featured speakers include:

Christine Rosen
Senior Editor
The New Atlantis

Witold Rybczynski
Martin & Margy Meyerson Professor of Urbanism
University of Pennsylvania

Yi-Fu Tuan
J. K. Wright and Vilas Professor Emeritus of Geography
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Practitioner Roundtables featuring:

Rick Cole, City Manager, City of Ventura

Jim Keene, City Manager, City of Palo Alto

Karen Baker, Secretary of Service, CaliforniaVolunteers

Ted Winterer, Planning Commissioner, City of Santa Monica

John Kaliski, Principal, Urban Studio LA

Daniel Iacofano, Principal, MIG, Inc.

A distinguished array of speakers will address the following topics:

• Mobility and Membership

• Cosmopolitanism and Place

• Building a Place: The Shape and Scale of the Good Life

• Is Los Angeles a Place?

• The Public’s Role in Defining Place

• Public Engagement: A Chance to Build Community in the “New Normal”?