In March, researchers and faculty from the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and the National Center for Smart Growth traveled to Paris for a three-day exploration of the changes and challenges facing the world’s metropolises. Co-sponsored by the NCSG, the event was the second part of a bilateral international seminar on urban transit issues and development. The group first met last fall in Washington, D.C.
The dual-city seminar operated under the premise that global metropolitan cities must attain equivalent measures to insure sustainability, long-term growth and prosperity, and that these measures—including transit oriented development, green infrastructure and architecture—transect regions and cultures. Engaging practitioners and academics from urban planning, architecture, engineering and social science, the seminar used the cities of Paris and Washington as urban laboratories for exploring contemporary development challenges. Using these two historically steeped, methodically planned cities sparked meaningful conversations about the future of modern cities around the world.