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Conference Focuses on Revitalization

Efforts to revitalize post World War II suburbs was the theme of the Blakely Center's third annual Conference on the Suburbs, held Thursday, January 25, 2007 at the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside.

Nearly 300 people - a sold out audience - registered for the conference, entitled "Revitalizing the Suburbs." Conference audience

This year's event focused on some of the strategies and innovations being used in Southern California and across the nation to redevelop older suburbs - often into pedestrian friendly, transit-accessible urban villages. Many of these innovations are being used in Inland area cities to revitalize aging downtowns or transform other older development.

The revitalization topic was especially relevant because just a few weeks before the conference, Edward J. Blakely, the Center's namesake, was appointed as the Executive Director for Recovery Management for the City of New Orleans.

Blakely, who grew up in San Bernardino and graduated from UCR p Revitalizing the Suburbs logo rovided the introduction to the conference and also led a panel covering Mobility and Access. He also shared some of his experiences so far in shaping a post-Katrina New Orleans.

Two other panels focused on reshaping Suburban Downtowns and Transforming Brownfields and Greenfields.

Joel Kotkin, an Irvine Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation, gave the luncheon address on "Lessons for Planning Suburbs." Kotkin is an internationally known authority on global, economic, political and social trends.

Conference Photography by Peter Phun

Edward J. Blakely