From Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, Phoenix will host 350 cross-sector leaders from 75 cities across North America to explore Phoenix as an innovative experiment in urban development. Attendees to the CEOs for Cities national event will include mayors and other elected and appointed officials, business and civic leaders, foundation executives, college and university presidents, entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders.

The multi-day meeting, titled “Everything’s Going to Be Different: Creating the Future City,” will showcase many site-specific projects and interactive events for a program dedicated to the macro forces that are shaping both Phoenix and the country as a whole. The organizers believe there may be no better backdrop for such a conversation than the city of Phoenix—a place still in a process of becoming, a living laboratory for experimentation, reinvention and continuous change.

Taking advantage of Phoenix as a place of extremes, the multi-day event will explore sustainability in addition to other topics, such as rapid urbanization, demographic change, education leading to innovation, and arts + culture. The meeting begins on October 30 with a special pre-session at the prestigious Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication entitled “Civic Discourse, Truth and the Future of Journalism.”

October 31 features sessions including “The Partnerships That Make Cities the Centers of Innovation” (with Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton), “I-10 Cities as a Window on the Future,”  “Cities: An Antidote to Our Flawed Democracy?” and on November 1, “Building Community: Place, Education and the Arts.” The meeting program presents a mix of local, regional and national experts.

November 1 closes with a keynote luncheon presentation by Richard Florida, the renowned urbanist best known for his book “The Rise of the Creative Class” and author of the recently published “The New Urban Crisis.” Tickets are available for the full conference and the Richard Florida keynote.

The events will take place at the Renaissance Downtown Phoenix Hotel (100 N. 1st St.) and ASU’s Beus Center for Law and Society. Additional information and the full agenda can be found here.

Prior to Oct. 30, Wellington (Duke) Reiter will be available for interviews. He is senior advisor to the president of Arizona State University, executive director of ASU’s University City Exchange and one of the principal organizers of this event.

About ASU
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American Research University, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.

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