This interdisciplinary conference, the second presented by the Design Exchange, Canada’s National Design Centre, seeks to explore the varied and future states of cities.

Interested in the roles cities play in the economic, social and cultural lives of societies, this conference invite papers that explore such topics as the architectural, design and material culture of cities, densification, urban renewal, branding, zoning, adaptive re-use, gentrification, social responsibility and historic preservation.

Similarly, papers are invited that address such related and relevant topics as green space in cities, infrastructure, technology, environmentalism, and sustainability, Brownfield rehabilitation, exurban growth, public transportation, universal design, street furnishings, climate change and disaster preparedness.

It is the purpose of this conference to examine both the historical and contemporary cultures and contours of urban experience and the status and promise of the post-millennial, post-industrial urban fabric. What is our future?