Dean Robert Shibley was a member of the conference organizing committee for the 2013 Remaking Cities Conference in Pittsburgh, PA., which convened urbanists and leaders last fall from around the world to assess and share best practices for the future of post-industrial cities. Sponsored by the Remaking Cities Institute of Carnegie Mellon University and the American Institute of Architects, the first Remaking Cities Conference was held in Pittsburgh in 1988 to address the precipitous decline of industrial cities and regions and North American and Europe in the 1980s. Shibley presented “Post-Industrialism and the Physical City,” a case study on Buffalo and its resurgence based on a legacy of historic architecture and world-class urban design and a community-driven planning framework that has facilitated investment in the urban core. The Buffalo case study, along with Germany’s Ruhr Valley, was also explored through a workshop on community-building strategies for the post-industrial city, with topics including urban design, preservation, infill development strategies, and the role of industrial legacies in urban regeneration.

Also this past fall, Shibley participated in the Legacy City Design Bruner Loeb Forum in Detroit, MI. The forum convened change agents in urban design, architecture, planning and community leadership to share best practices, learn from failed implementation and brainstorm new innovations in design and development that address the common issues of chronic population loss and excessive land vacancy in the rustbelt cities of Southeast Michigan, Northeast Ohio and Upstate New York. Shibley presented “Vacancy, Density, and New Neighborhoods,” addressing innovative strategies in infill development and urban design in Buffalo. The Bruner Loeb Forum is a partnership between the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence and the Loeb Fellowship Program that brings together distinguished practitioners from across the country to advance creative thinking about placemaking in American cities. The Legacy City Design forum was hosted by the J. Max Bond Center on Design for the Just City, The City College of New York Spitzer School of Architecture, The American Assembly at Columbia University and the Detroit Collaborative Design Center.

Research Associate Professor Bradshaw Hovey was a participant in both conferences and will co-author a book chapter on the Remaking Cities conference with Shibley. Professor Emeritus Lynda Schneekloth was also an invited participant in the Remaking Cities conference.

In December, Christopher Romano attended final reviews at both University of Detroit Mercy (second year) and Alfred State University (third year).