Gaining Ground Summit on Energy and Urban Development

Posted by Andree Iffrig Apr 2, 2009

Canada’s oil and gas capital is getting ready to host a different kind of energy conference. This one isn’t for the old boys network from The Petroleum Club. The Gaining Ground Summit on sustainable urban development is being held in Calgary May 7-8, 2009 at the Westin hotel. Expect to see die-hard environmentalists rubbing shoulders with suits from the business community.

Entitled “Energy and the Future of Calgary”, the conference will bring together leaders from diverse backgrounds to discuss land use and transportation issues in a changing energy environment. Keynote speakers include Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Peter Tertzakian.

Delegates and speakers alike will be challenged to imagine the post-carbon city of the (near) future. Calgary’s choice as the host city seems ironic in this regard; it has a well-earned reputation for suburban sprawl. That may be slowly changing with the city’s decision to endorse sustainable design principles for urban development as part of the Plan It Calgary project.

The Center for Urban Innovation (CUI) in Victoria, B.C., is organizing the conference. CUI is a loosely-affiliated group of planners, policy makers and innovators concerned with urban development. With conference themes like preparing Calgary for a future without oil and whole-city change, delegates will be invited to imagine and debate the city’s future. It promises to be a not-to-be-missed event.