Embargo: 10.30am CST, Monday, December 9, 2013

Contact: Marina Bradbury, mbradbury@newcitiesfoundation.org, +33 6 17 79 17 72

The 2014 New Cities Summit in Dallas to Focus on “Re-imagining Cities: Transforming the 21st Century Metropolis”

Dallas, Texas – December 9, 2013. The New Cities Foundation today announced the theme for the New Cities Summit 2014: Re-imagining Cities: Transforming the 21st Century Metropolis.

The New Cities Summit will gather 1,000 of the world’s most forward-thinking urban leaders, mayors, CEOs, architects, entrepreneurs, academics, thinkers, urban planners, scientists and artists for pragmatic, action-oriented discussions on the future of the urban world. The invitation-only event will take place on June 17 -19, 2014 in the Dallas Arts District, the cultural hub of one of North America’s fastest growing metro regions.

By 2050, cities will be home to 70% of the world’s population. Cities and metropolitan regions are increasingly becoming powerful economic and political actors in their own right. The New Cities Summit responds to this major phenomenon by calling upon city leaders and thinkers to shape ambitious and effective strategies that foster tangible change.
The Summit speaker program will address “Re-imagining Cities” from multiple perspectives, offering practical examples, learnings and solutions from the many sectors that determine the future of cities, including governance, transport, education, healthcare, technology, finance, architecture, design and culture.

An exciting mix of prizes, initiatives and special projects will be showcased at the event. These include the AppMyCity! Prize for the worlds’ best mobile application, and WhatWorks, a series of inspirational short-talks by urban innovators from a spectrum of sectors and global locations. Summit participants will also benefit from expert-led tours of the city of Dallas, gaining insight into key urban development projects.

The New Cities Summit 2014 also provides a platform for the Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN), a strategic network of leaders from the world’s most important cultural districts, from Hong Kong to Qatar. The GCDN was launched at the 2013 New Cities Summit and is headquartered in the Dallas Arts District.

The Summit kicks off a week of discussions that will place Dallas at the very heart of global thought-leadership on the future of cities. Following the Summit, Dallas will be host the Annual Meeting of the US Conference of Mayors on June 20-23.

The venue of the 2014 New Cities Summit in Dallas will be the Winspear Opera House in the Dallas Arts District.

John Rossant, Founder and Chairman of the New Cities Foundation, said: “As cities develop, and as they increasingly compete and cooperate across borders, they need to deftly and strategically position and re-position themselves on local, national and global playing fields. For most, this means a difficult but necessary process of re-imagination and transformation. This calls for creativity, and it also calls for decisive action and common purpose. Dallas, with its can-do spirit and dynamic economy, is a fantastic backdrop for launching a new agenda for all cities globally. It’s time to re-imagine the cities we live in today, for the citizens of tomorrow.”

Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas said: “It is time to re-imagine our cities and tell a new story about the places that define and shape who we are. Change is in the fiber of our dynamic city, making Dallas a great place to start this conversation. We’re proud that Dallas will be the epicenter of these crucial, transformative discussions on our urban future.”
Maxwell L. Anderson, Eugene McDermott Director of the Dallas Museum of Art, Chairman of the Dallas Arts District, and Co-Chairman of the GCDN, said: “The re-imagining of cities demands insight into the distinctive character of a place through its cultural heritage, creative industries, and built environment, and the 2014 Summit will stimulate fresh thinking about these facets of urban planning for cities around the globe.”

The previous editions of the New Cities Summit took place in São Paulo, Brazil in 2013 and in Paris in 2012. The host city for the 2015 Summit will be announced in Dallas in June 2014.

More information coming soon at www.newcitiessummit2014.org

Contact:
Marina Bradbury
Communications & Media Relations Manager
New Cities Foundation
mbradbury@newcitiesfoundation.org
+33 6 17 79 17 72