Transforming Urban Communities: Lessons from Liverpool, England, and Providence, Rhode Island - the first RSA symposium in the US to discuss urban transformation - will be held on June 5, 6 & 7, 2005. The symposium will investigate the transformation processes that are taking place in Liverpool (England) and Providence (Rhode Island, USA), in order to deepen collective understanding about urban renewal and the factors involved. The goal is to improve the quality of the questions asked about urban transformation and to reveal certain important factors the Providence and Liverpool experiences have in common - which may help identify paths to further success and be instructive for other regions. The program will consist of speakers from each city, drawn from the disciplines of:

architecture, art and urban design;

education and community;

civic leadership; and

economic development They will discuss key factors that influenced the rebirth of each city, addressing the issues candidly and comparing successes and failures. Speakers will also participate in panel sessions ensuring a cross-disciplinary approach. Sympoisum attendees are able to pariticipate in roundtables, divided by topic and moderated by one or more experts in the respective fields. The symposium is relevant to any community faced with the challenge of urban transformation. People from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines are encouraged to attend, including:

Elected representatives, city government officials and tourism directors;

Educators, development economists and social scientists;

Civic leaders, artists, writers, community activists and students;

Architects, urban planners transportation and environmental specialists; and

Property developers, investors and commercial lenders. For more information, CLICK HERE.