Set for Hong Kong February 18-20

The economic, environmental, and social impacts of urbanization in Asia and North America is being examined at the Pacific Cities Sustainability Initiative (PCSI) Annual Forum in Hong Kong from February 18 to 20. The Forum is being organized through a new partnership established by the Asia Society and Urban Land Institute (ULI).

Entitled “Tomorrow’s City Today,” the PCSI Annual Forum is an exclusive, invitation-only gathering of approximately 100 of the world’s foremost land use experts in the areas of urban planning, investment, design, development, and policy making who are discussing the opportunities and challenges associated with creating livable environments in Asia’s high-density cities, and looking at best practices for creating livable urban environments in both Asia and North America.

Through a series of expert level workshops and dialogues, the Forum is exploring a variety of themes, including building livable cities; creating green urban jobs and industries; managing urban sustainability; green transportation and human scale development; public health, education, and recreation and culture; urbanization and migration trends; and innovation and technology.  Headlining the Forum are keynote speakers Chandran Nair, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Institute for Tomorrow, and Thai Ker Liu, Director of RSP Architects Planners and Engineers.

According to ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips, the Forum exemplifies how ULI’s time-honored tradition of information sharing has been embraced in and expanded to markets worldwide. “For more than 75 years, being part of ULI has meant sharing knowledge to achieve the best for the built environment. While ULI has evolved over the years, its unique service as a platform for the exchange of ideas and information has not changed,” Phillips said.

“The institute still serves its original purpose as the one place for land use professionals to engage in candid conversations, analyses of market trends, best practices, and future challenges facing urban markets. This knowledge-sharing network is helping ULI make a positive difference in how Asia’s cities are growing.”

“Cities across the Pacific Rim and Asia are urbanizing at a rapid pace and we must increase our efforts to create sustainable, livable cities that preserve natural resources,” said N. Bruce Pickering, Vice President of Global Programs and Executive Director of Asia Society Northern California. “There are many conferences on these topics, but PCSI is a new model that brings together a diverse group of cross-sector experts—academics, policymakers, and business leaders—to find solutions to address these challenges.”

PCSI is a collaborative dialogue that aims to foster the long-term exchange of urban sustainability strategies between communities across the Pacific Rim. Launched in 2009 with support from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and the University of California at Los Angeles Anderson School of Management, the initiative is a joint initiative of the Asia Society and ULI. PCSI convenes thought leaders from business, government and academia for the specific purpose of fostering new alliances, sharing innovative strategies and showcasing effective practices.

The Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution dedicated to the promotion of mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among the people, leaders and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context. Across the fields of art, business, culture, education and policy, the Asia Society provides insight, generates ideas and promotes collaboration to address current urban challenges and create a shared vision for the future.