Lincoln Institute a Partner for Conference on ‘Anchor’ Institutions
Universities, medical centers, museums focus of Oct. 8-9 conference.
Cambridge, MA (Vocus) September 28, 2007
The role of anchor institutions --universities, medical complexes, arts and culture institutions, stadiums, public utilities and some large corporations – in the health and civic life of cities will be explored in a major conference in Philadelphia Oct. 8-9, co-sponsored by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Urban Anchors in the 21st Century: A Commitment to Place, Growth and Community, will take place at Houston Hall on the University of Pennsylvania campus, hosted by the Penn Institute for Urban Research.
“Increasingly, universities, hospitals, and medical centers are taking up the role of providing civic leadership in cities and regions,” said Rosalind Greenstein, chair of the Department of Economic and Community Development at the Lincoln Institute. “The challenge for these urban institutions is to understand that their sustainability depends on the long-term health of their city -- as an economy, as a labor market, as a housing market, and as a human ecological system.”
The conference in Philadelphia, Greenstein said, will bring together leaders 'to review the latest information on the planning, design, finance, and partnerships of these institutions.' Mayors and public officials including Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz, will attend along with leaders in the so-called “eds and meds” sector, museums, sports facilities and teams, and performing arts centers.
Along with the Lincoln Institute, the partners in the conference include the Great Cities Institute, CEOs for Cities, Bank of America Foundation, Knight Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Anchor institutions provide employment and purchasing power, and have a major physical presence in cities. The Lincoln Institute, a think tank in Cambridge, Mass. with a focus on land policy, has done extensive research on the role of universities in urban environments. For more information, go to http://www. lincolninst. edu/subcenters/CLU/ (http://www. lincolninst. edu/subcenters/CLU/).
For the Urban Anchors conference agenda, go to http://www. upenn. edu/penniur/anchors/index. shtml (http://www. upenn. edu/penniur/anchors/index. shtml).
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