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1. Explore the Latest Trends in Creating Valuable Cities

1. Explore the Latest Trends in Creating Valuable Cities
Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Moderated session in topic: Finding the Balance between Commercial Prosperity and Livability
(From right) (moderator): C.K. Lau , Executive Editor, Policy, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong , China

(speaker): Andrew Lam , Managing Principal, EDAW, Hong Kong , China

(speaker): Markus Shaw , Chairman, WWF Hong Kong, Hong Kong , China

(speaker): Ed McMahon , Senior Resident Fellow, Charles E. Fraser Chair for Sustainable Development, ULI the Urban Land Institute, Washington , D.C. , USA

(speaker): Hugh Andrew , Senior Asset Manager, Commercial Property, Hong Kong, Hongkong Land Limited

Welcome Remarks by The Honorable Leung Chun-Ying, Chairman, ULI Asia,
Chairman, DTZ Debenham Tie Leung Limited,
Convener of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Government of HKSAR, Hong Kong, China

ULI-the Urban Land Institute, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Business Environment Council in Hong Kong will stage Creating Valuable Cities , a one-day conference to be held at the Island Shangri-La Hotel in Hong Kong on May 23, 2006 . The conference, featuring renowned local and international experts from a range of planning, architectural, and environmental disciplines, will take an in-depth look at what elements are required to ensure that a city is vibrant, attractive, productive, and environmentally sustainable.

The conference will have a global outlook but special emphasis will be placed on Asia, where booming economies have led to rapid growth and new stresses on the environment (pollution, congestion, and urban sprawl), residents (the need for affordable housing and the liveability factor) and businesses (the need to attract and retain talented workforces as well as inward investment).

Speakers will offer in-depth and practical analyses of how to strike a balance between economic, social, and cultural demands, and will explore the qualities that make some cities role models while others fall behind. They will examine how innovation can be used to reduce the impact of the urban footprint, the need for “green” development, and the roles that city governments, not-for profit organisations, and the private sector should play in devising and implementing successful strategies for change.

Well-planned cities can generate positive economic feedback in a number of ways. As Larry Beasley, conference keynote speaker and co-director of planning of the City of Vancouver notes: “Good design is especially important to those communities seeking to attract tourists and their dollars. That's because the more a community does to protect and enhance its unique characteristics — natural or man-made — the more tourists it will attract. On the other hand, the more a community comes to resemble everyplace else, the less reason there is to visit. Good design can mean more tourists, more jobs, and a better quality of life. Bad design, or no design, can lead to polarisations and citizen opposition to new development.”

This conference is relevant for real estate investors, developers, public officials, planners, and others who are concerned about future opportunities in cities throughout Asia .

For more information, please visit: www.uli.org/conferences/asia_2006