Reclaiming Place: A Civic Conversation

The Pepperdine School of Public Policy and its Davenport Institute are dedicated to healthy communities and to developing policies that cultivate local self-rule, robust local institutions, and deep attachment to the places where people make their lives.

 Thursday, March 27, 2014
1-5  p.m.
Villa Graziadio Executive Dining Room
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Cohosted by

"Reclaiming Place" celebrates the publication of a new book, Why Place Matters: Geography, Identity, and Civic Life in Modern America (Encounter Books 2014), devoted to the problem of sustaining a more vibrant sense of place and community in contemporary America. Blending lectures with freewheeling discussion by scholars and practitioners alike, "Reclaiming Place" will be an opportunity for us to reflect more deeply on the practical challenges and potential rewards of place-making in California cities.

Session One:  How to Think About Place

Featuring:
Rod Dreher
Senior Editor, The American Conservative

With respondents:
Ted V. McAllister
Edward L. Gaylord Chair/Associate Professor of Public Policy, Pepperdine University
Wilfred M. McClay
G. T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty, University of Oklahoma
Susan McWilliams
Associate Professor of Politics, Pomona College

Session Two:  What to Do About Place

This conversation between a California local government official, a journalist, and public engagement advocate will examine how concepts and themes from the book can be put into practice in the Golden State. Confirmed panelists include:

James Keene
City Manager, City of Palo Alto, California
Joe Mathews
"Connecting California" columnist and editor, Zocalo Public Square
Pete Peterson
Executive Director, Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership, Pepperdine University

For additional information, please contact the Pepperdine School of Public Policy at 310.506.7490, or e-mail maryjo.hardman@pepperdine.edu.