— Coalition for a Livable Future

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The 2008 Regional Livability Summit

Whether you are working on job creation, affordable housing, 21st century economies, education for sustainability, effective transportation, asset development, or equity accounting -- this summit is for you. Join us as leaders from across the bi-state metropolitan region gather to advance an inclusive agenda for sustainability.

                DATE:              Wednesday, May 28, 2008
                TIME:             Daytime Program: 8 am - 4 pm
                                     Evening Program: 7 pm - 9 pm

                LOCATION:     Portland State University
                                        Smith Center Ballroom
                                        1825 SW Broadway, 3rd Floor
                                        Portland, Oregon

                REGISTRATION:    $45 General
                                             $35 CLF Members
                                             $__ Living Lightly
                                               (please choose an amount which fits your budget)

Summit registration includes cost of event, continental breakfast & lunch. Register by May 23 to ensure a lunch is reserved for you.

Register Now by calling 503.294.2889!

This Year's Summit is Co-Hosted by:

There is growing recognition of the interconnectedness of today's issues and the need to simultaneously address economy, environment, and equity in order to achieve sustainability goals. Yet, we still have much to learn to broaden our region's sustainability agenda beyond just being green.

Using the ground-breaking Regional Equity Atlas Project as a point of departure, and knowing that we can and must do better, leaders from across the bi-state metropolitan area are coming together at the 2008 Summit to advance an agenda for true sustainability in the region - one that harnesses our desire for positive change, recognizes our interconnectedness, and lives up to the promise of our people and our place. Join us!

Daytime Program

8:00 a.m.
Registration & Continental Breakfast Opens

8:30 a.m.
Program Begins

8:45 - 9:30 a.m.
Opening Keynote by Maya Wiley
"Equity for Opportunity: The history and current context for our struggle for a better life"

Ms. Wiley is founder and director of the Center for Social Inclusion, a research and advocacy organization which works for a fair and just society. She is a leader in the effort to bring equity issues to bear in regional development and land use planning, working alongside nationally-known experts, john powell and Myron Orfield. A graduate of Columbia University School of Law, Ms. Wiley has litigated, lobbied, and educated in diverse national and international settings to help expand opportunity for all. She is also a contributing author to Growing Smarter; Achieving Livable Communities, Environmental Justice and Regional Equity (2007).

9:30 - 10:40 a.m.
Plenary Panel
"Regional Geographies of Opportunity: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow"

As we organize to address issues of equity and opportunity in the region, it is important to understand the context of existing conditions. Hearing from diverse members of the community, we will gain an appreciation of past policies and future possibilities.

Nichole Maher
Native American Youth and Family Center

Nathan Teske
El Programa Hispano-Catholic Charities

Alfonso Lopez-Vasquez
Pacific University and Washington County Human Rights Commission

Ed Washington
Portland State University Community Liason for Diversity Initiatives

10:40 - 11:00 a.m.
Framing Presentation
"Portrait of Possibility: Emerging Equity Action Agenda Strategies and Point of Departure for Deliberation"

CLF will share preliminary strategies that have been identified in response to the Regional Equity Atlas, and paint a picture of what kinds of community changes they might create. These draft strategies, developed with the input of hundreds of community leaders and residents, serve as a point of departure for the breakout discussions.

12:15 - 1:30 p.m.

Networking Lunch with Storytelling Performance by Baba Wagué Diakité

"Every human, regardless of race or culture, is a leaf from one giant tree."

Baba Wague Diakite is an artist who defies categorization--a fact that reveals as much about the limits of artistic categories as it does about Diakite's multiple talents. Both Malian and American, Wague has been a resident of Portland, Oregon, for more than twenty years. He expresses himself in many media, from ceramics and textiles to storytelling and architectural sculpture.

Part 1: 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Part 2: 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Equity Action Strategy Breakouts and Caucuses

Roll up your shirt-sleeves and help shape the implementation of our region's equity action agenda. Join one of six break-out sessions developed in response to community feedback on the Regional Equity Atlas. These sessions focus on green jobs, accounting for social sustainability, equitable and effective transportation, quality affordable housing, wealth and asset building, and schools as sustainability centers.

Click Here for Full Descriptions of Breakout Sessions and Discussion Leaders

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Break-out wrap up and conclusions from the day

In this session we will synthesize the work of the six break-out sessions and discuss next steps for the Regional Equity Action Agenda.

4:00 Daytime Program Ends

Evening Program

7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

"Moving Forward: An Inclusive Agenda for Sustainability"

Ms. Wiley will share her observations on the day's progress through the lens of social inclusion. Her comments will help us assess our progress in developing an inclusive regional sustainability agenda that unites our communities and creates a positive future, and will strengthen our capacity to effectively communicate about these important issues

Leadership Response Panel: "Moving the regional equity agenda forward"

Following Ms.Wiley's presentation a panel of community leaders from different sectors will share their perspective on moving the regional equity agenda forward in our region.

Lawrence Wallack - Moderator
Dean of Portland State University College of Urban and Public Affairs.

Sam Brooks
Portland Business Alliance Board Chair, President and Chairman of Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, and founder of S. Brooks and Associates

Barbara Dudley
Adjunct Professor, PSU in Hatfield School of Government, former Executive Director Greenpeace USA and Assistant Director Strategic Campaigns National AFL-CIO

Michael Jordan
Metro Chief Operating Officer

Chuck Sheketoff
Executive Director, Oregon Center for Public Policy

Jeri Williams
Environmental Justice Activist