Cities around the globe are experiencing unprecedented growth as people seek employment and strive to elevate their quality of life. Urban centers are hotbeds for wealth creation and innovation in numerous fields, and their inhabitants are often better educated, more creative and happier than those who live in less dense locales. However, cities are also complex spaces that can be overwhelmed by uncontrolled population growth and deteriorating infrastructure, leading to expanding slums, marginalization and crime. This panel will explore how the world's great and soon-to-be-great cities can stay flexible in the face of change and maintain vibrant, livable communities. What are planners, architects and government officials doing to solve pressing urban challenges, such as affordable housing and efficient, high-capacity transportation? How can they, and others with good ideas, design metropolises that are conducive to economic vitality, environmental sustainability, social inclusiveness and creativity--the strengths that will enable these population magnets to thrive in the future?

Moderator: Ross DeVol
Speakers: Claire Cockerton, Andy Cohen, Ned Curic, Shirley Franklin, Perry Wong