For more information, contact: Robert Krueger at 202-624-7051

KANSAS CITY (September 28, 2016) – The emergence of “18-hour” cities as magnets for investment and development will be discussed at the J.C. Nichols forum, an event being hosted on Thursday, September 29, by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) at Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The forum honors the legacy of Kansas City developer J.C. Nichols, a founding ULI member considered to be one of America’s most creative entrepreneurs in land use during the first half of the 20th century.

The forum, open to the public, will focus on the emergence of smaller cities that have evolved into vibrant places to live, work and play by offering a mix of housing, retail, dining, office space, and public space. In addition, these 18-hour cities (which are lively most of the day and night) are embracing alternatives to driving with bike lanes, pedestrian walkways, and transit systems, and are attracting growing numbers of Millennials as well as Baby Boomers.

According to ULI Global Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips, Kansas City exemplifies the rise of the 18-hour city. “What’s happening here is happening in many smaller cities across the country. These cities are fun and dynamic, and they are competing with larger global markets for talented workers and new businesses.”

The forum will celebrate the lasting influence of Nichols, his body of work, and the ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development – an annual award that recognizes a person or a person representing an institution who has demonstrated a longtime commitment to the creation of communities that reflect the highest standards of design and development.

Innovations taking place in smaller cities such as Kansas City, Austin, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and New Orleans will be discussed. The event provides an opportunity to hear from leading voices in the areas of city building, community engagement, urban planning, civic leadership, design, and urban policy. Speakers include several Nichols laureates: Richard D. Baron, co-founder and chairman, McCormack Baron Salazar; Bart Harvey, former chairman and chief executive officer, Enterprise Community Partners; Peter Calthorpe, principal, Calthorpe Associates; Gerald Hines, founder and chairman, Hines; Peter Walker, founder and senior partner, PWP Landscape Architecture; and Joseph Riley, former mayor of Charleston, South Carolina.

The event will begin with a morning panel on challenges and opportunities facing smaller cities. It will feature Riley, former Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Joe Reardon; and Knoxville, Tennessee Mayor Madeline Rogero. An afternoon panel will focus on the role of technology in catalyzing economic development. It will feature Calthorpe and Rachel Hack Merlo, community impact manager, Google Fiber; Tyrone Poole, founder, NoAppFee.com; and Rick Usher, assistant city manager for entrepreneurship and small business, City of Kansas City.

Renowned architecture critic Paul Goldberger, contributing editor to Vanity Fair, will moderate the program, leading panelists through an exploration of successful city building for the 21^st century.

The forum, which is open to the public, starts at 9 a.m. in the Atkins Auditorium and will conclude at 3:30 p.m.

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has nearly 40,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. For more information, please visit uli.org  or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.