Event

The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) and two German think tanks, Das Progressive Zentrum and Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft, have joined forces on a three-year, comparative study of metro innovation. Please join us March 10, 2020 at the Line Hotel in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. launch of the project, New Urban Progress.

Tuesday, March 10th, 2020
Banneker Room at The LINE Hotel DC
1770 Euclid St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
8:00 AM to 2:00 PM

The launch will feature conversations with prominent urban leaders and mayors (in formation), including:
Mayor Bill Peduto, Pittsburgh, PA

Mayor Levar Stoney, Richmond, VA

Mayor Lovely Ann Warren, Rochester, NY

Former Mayor Sly James, Kansas City, MO

The program will also include a growing list of top metro analysts and practitioners:
Will Marshall – PPI President
Maria Skóra – Das Progressive Zentrum
Bruce Katz – The New Localism
Amy Liu – Brookings Institution Metro Center
Evan Absher – Kauffman Foundation
Steven Bosacker – Director, GMF Cities
Elisabeth Mansfeld – Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft
Joda Thongnopnua – Metro Ideas Project, Chattanooga
Tracy Hadden Loh – Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking at Brookings Institution
Evan Dreyer – Deputy Chief of Staff, Mayor of Denver
Dane Stangler – PPI Director of Policy Innovation
Scott Andes – Carnegie Mellon Block Center
Sonya R. Porter – Census Bureau
Jenny Schuetz – Brookings Metropolitan Center
Crystal Swann – PPI Senior Fellow, CEO at CSwann Solutions, LLC

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AGENDA:

8:30 am Welcome and introduction: New Urban Progress: A Transatlantic Dialogue on Metro Innovation and Governance

Will Marshall – PPI, Maria Skora – DPZ

9:00 am A Conversation with Metro Leaders: Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, Mayor Lovely Warren, Rochester; former Kansas City Mayor Sly James; Evan Dreyer, Dept. Chief of Staff to Denver Mayor Michael Hancock

10:00 am Metro analysts roundtable, Going Local: Enabling Metro Innovation Bruce Katz, The New Localism; Amy Liu, Brookings Institution Metro Center; Evan Absher, Kauffman Foundation.

11:00 am Available Workshops

SESSION: Inclusive innovation and growth: How metros incubate new jobs and businesses and enlarge the economic winner’s circle.

Discussion leaders: Tracy Loh – Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking at Brookings Institution, Scott Andes – Carnegie Mellon Block Center.

SESSION: Networked governance: How metros are pioneering new forms of collaborative problem-solving.

Discussion leaders: Steven Bosacker – Director, GMF Cities, Joda Thongnopnua, Metro Ideas Project, Chattanooga

SESSION: Social mobility: Raising skills, spreading capital ownership and building affordable housing.

Discussion Leaders: Sonya R. Porter – Census Bureau, Jenny Schuetz – Brookings Metropolitan Center.

12:30 pm Working lunch: Reports on workshops, wrap-up and next steps, Dane Stangler, PPI

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The aim of New Urban Progress, is to study and compare notes on creative metro problem-solving in three U.S. cities and three German cities. The March 10 forum will focus on the project’s three main organizing themes:

How cities can promote inclusive innovation and growth (including digital transformation and energy transition)
How cities are pioneering networked governance that taps a broad array of civic actors to get things done
How cities deal with the challenges of social mobility (including education, skill acquisition and affordable housing)

At a time when Washington seems politically and financially incapacitated, we advocate for a “flexible federalism” that shifts more decisions and resources to Mayors and other local leaders. PPI is a strong proponent of “going local”, and together with our German partners, we’ll spend the next three years highlighting metro innovations with the aim of sparking a cross-fertilization of ideas for local initiative and ground-up problem-solving. Register today for this unique event.

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In an abundance of caution, PPI is limiting in-person participation in meetings and events with any persons that have traveled to or are living with someone who has traveled within the past 14 days to any country designated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as Covid-19 “Alert Level 2” or “Warning Level 3.” As of 3.2.20 this includes China, Iran, South Korea, Italy, and Japan.