FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Jennifer Myers, The Aspen Institute
(202) 736-2906/jennifer.myers@aspeninstitute.org
Anna Bross, The Atlantic
(202) 266-7714/abross@theatlantic.com
Rebecca Carriero, Bloomberg Philanthropies
(212) 205-0182/rebeccac@bloomberg.org
Third Annual “CityLab: Urban Solutions to Global Challenges” Convenes City Leaders and Global Mayors in London, October 18-20
Mayors from London, Jerusalem, Atlanta, Rio de Janeiro, Nairobi, Bangkok, Athens, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Christchurch among participants
Presented by: the Aspen Institute, The Atlantic, and Bloomberg Philanthropies
Washington, DC and New York, NY, September 1, 2015—The Aspen Institute, The Atlantic, and Bloomberg Philanthropies will convene the third annual “CityLab: Urban Solutions to Global Challenges,” in London Sunday-Tuesday, October 18-20. The summit will bring global mayors together with a diverse group of urban exper ts to collaborate on real, scalable solutions to the most pressing challenges facing cities around the world. CityLab will take place at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, with trips to various locations in the midst of vibrant and substantial change.
Across the summit, a global group of presenters and participants will engage in dozens of plenaries, breakout sessions, and roundtable discussions on such topic areas as: affordable housing, urbanization in India, the future of work in cities, climate change, global perspectives on community policing, urban analytics, and unleashing innovation from front line of government, and more. As CityLab’s first international host city, London itself will also play a key role in the summit. Field trips will take participants to visit projects that have transformed the city: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park; Kings Cross Redevelopment Area; Clapham Underground’s Zero Carbon Food; and Crossrail, Europe’s largest infrastructure project.
CityLab speakers and attendees are drawn from a diverse global roster; last year’s 550 participants represented 127 cities and 26 countries. This year’s summit will host an expanded roster of mayors from cities across the world, including Accra, Addis Ababa, Athens (Greece), Atlanta, Austin, Bangkok, Christchurch, Denver, Hamburg, Jerusalem, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Nairobi, Rio de Janeiro, Tel Aviv, Warsaw, Washington, D.C., and others.
Confirmed speakers include three-term New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, London Mayor Boris Johnson, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes, and Mayor Giorgos Kaminis of Athens, Greece; Architect Jan Gehl; London’s Executive Director of Digital in the Cabinet Office Mike Bracken; Project Row Houses Founder Rick Lowe; Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey; former New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan; Tel Aviv Global CEO Hila Oren; Nesta Chief Executive Geoff Mulgan; and Chicago Department of Innovation and Technology Chief Information Officer Brenna Berman. Aspen Institute President Walter Isaacson, Atlantic Media Chairman and CEO David Bradley, and James Bennet, editor-in-chief and co-president of The Atlantic, will also speak.
The CityLab summit is an expansion of The Atlantic’s longstanding partnership with the Aspen Institute, devoted to the exchange of ideas of consequence, which established the Aspen Ideas Festival in 2005, the Washington Ideas Forum in 2009, and New York Ideas in 2012. CityLab was honored as Best Conference in both 2013 and 2014 at the Folio: FAME Awards.
Further details about the program agenda and speakers will be released in the coming weeks. Media interested in learning more or attending the program should contact the press leads listed below.
The presenting level underwriters for CityLab are General Motors and JPMorgan Chase & Co. McKinsey & Company is a knowledge underwriter. Airbnb is a supporting level underwriter. Bechtel and Waze are contributing level underwriters.
About the Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute has campuses in Aspen, CO, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also maintains offices in New York City and has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
About The Atlantic
Founded in 1857 on the conviction that big ideas make history, The Atlantic advances new ways of seeing the world and its possibilities. A tradition of integrity, invention and optimism has made The Atlantic one of the fastest growing and most acclaimed brands in media today. Its thriving digital, live, and video platforms, like its foundational monthly magazine, address the critical questions of our times—from politics to business, technology to culture to urban affairs. The Atlantic is the flagship property of Atlantic Media, based in Washington, D.C. Its co-presidents are Editor-in-Chief James Bennet and Chief Operating Officer Bob Cohn.
About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ mission is to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: Public Health, Environment, Education, Government Innovation and the Arts. Bloomberg Philanthropies believes cities are drivers of progress and innovation, and hold the solution to many of the pressing issues we face – from confronting climate change and improving public health to creating jobs in a changing global economy. By helping city governments innovate, engage the public, and adopt proven solutions, the lives of billions of people can be improved. Bloomberg Philanthropies works toward this goal through efforts as diverse as Bloomberg Associates, C40, Cities of Service, CityLab, the Compact of Mayors, Global Road Safety, Innovation Teams, the India Smart Cities Challenge, the Public Arts Challenge, What Works Cities, and more. For more information on the philanthropy, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @BloombergDotOrg.
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