By Neysa Pranger , Director, Public Affairs
Regional Plan Association's 19th Annual Regional Assembly 2009
America 2050: Building the Next Economy
Friday, April 17, 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
To order tickets: www.rpa.org, (212) 253-5492 or email rivanova@rpa.org
Assembly Chair:
Christopher O. Ward
Executive Director, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Featured Speakers:
The Honorable David A. Paterson, Governor of the State of New York
The Honorable Edward G. Rendell, Governor of the State of Pennsylvania
The Honorable Robert Menendez, U.S. Senator, New Jersey
Mark Zandi, Moody's Chief Economist and Co-Founder, Economy.com
As our economy shifted dramatically in the last year, many have wondered how the nation and our region would recover. A new president has set the tone with a massive economic stimulus package, but what long-term investments and changes do we need to make to overcome the current crisis and ensure we limit our exposure in the future?
At RPA's 19th Annual Regional Assembly "America 2050: Building the Next Economy," experts in the fields of transportation, energy, housing, water and the economy will discuss how we arrived at the current crisis and what an equitable, sustainable and economically competitive future might look like for the tri-state region and for the nation.
This year's Assembly will be held on Friday, April 17th at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City and will feature keynote speeches, workshops and panel discussions led by prominent political, civic and business leaders from around the region and nation who will discuss how to repair our fractured economy.
Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell will deliver the Assembly's morning keynote on the Obama Administration's recently passed stimulus package and the impact the sweeping plan will have on the nation's infrastructure investment capabilities. The morning plenary session will feature a roundtable discussion exploring whether Washington, D.C. will be able to look beyond stimulus to a long-term recovery. The panel will be moderated by Washington Post editorial writer Jonathan Capehart and will feature U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), RPA President Robert Yaro, Peterson Foundation CEO David Walker, King County Executive Ron Sims and New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
Central to every Regional Assembly is the opportunity for participants to interact with and hear from some of the nation's most innovative experts. This year five breakout sessions will cover a range of topics related to our economic recovery theme and will address the specific investments needed in energy, housing, transportation, water and economic infrastructure to ensure a bright and prosperous future.
"Building the Foundations for Recovery" will be moderated by Timur Galen, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs & Co. Mr. Galen will lead a discussion of economic development experts and public officials about the ability of the tri-state region to bounce back from the economic crisis and how the economic profile and geography of the region will change as a result.
"Energy: (Green) Power to the People" will be led by Dylan Hixon,
President, Arden Road Investments, and will generate a discussion of
what progress is being made toward renewable energy sources and a smart grid, future hurdles and opportunities, and why reformulating the
nation's electricity system is essential to the next economy.
"Housing: Housing Policy and the New Economy" will be moderated by Fernando Ferrer, Co-Chairman of Fleischman-Hillard Government Relations, and will discuss what political leaders, financial institutions and developers can do to restructure the housing industry, stabilize home equity and minimize foreclosures.
"Transportation: Transportation Projects in an Economic Downturn" will be moderated by Ira Levy, Northeast Region Chief Executive, AECOM USA, Inc., to examine how federal policy can expand the local and regional financing options for building and maintaining transportation infrastructure and transit systems.
"Water: Blue Gold: Economic and Environmental Returns from Water Infrastructure Investment" will be moderated by Christopher J. Daggett, Principal, JM Sorge, Inc., and will explore four smart, economically productive and forward-thinking areas of opportunity for investment: restoring wetlands and floodplains to combat the flooding caused by global warming, identifying the relationship between sewer investment and smart growth in the suburbs, repairing and upgrading our inefficient drinking water structure, and collecting storm water in urban areas
through innovative means.
The luncheon program will feature Governor David Paterson's presentation of the RPA Lifetime Leadership Award to Richard Ravitch, a long-time RPA board member. The award will recognize Mr. Ravitch's past and continuing role in revitalizing the region's transportation system as Chair of the MTA from 1979 to 1983 as well as his recent role as Chairman of the Governor's Commission on Metropolitan Transportation Authority Financing - the entity charged with finding solutions to the MTA's multi-billion dollar budget gaps.
Mark Zandi, Moody's Chief Economist and Co-Founder of Economy.com will deliver the afternoon keynote address. Mr. Zandi, a leading national voice who has served as economic advisor to Barack Obama and John McCain, will discuss the events leading to the economic crash, the current state of the economy, where it is headed and what can be done to spur recovery.
Join us at this year's Regional Assembly as we take an in-depth look at necessary steps to a more sustainable future, financially and environmentally. The solutions will require thoughtful planning for the long term, values that have been at RPA's core for more than 80 years.
Regional Plan Association's 19th Annual Regional Assembly 2009
America 2050: Building the Next Economy
Friday, April 17, 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
To order tickets: www.rpa.org, (212) 253-5492 or email rivanova@rpa.org
Assembly Chair:
Christopher O. Ward
Executive Director, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Featured Speakers:
The Honorable David A. Paterson, Governor of the State of New York
The Honorable Edward G. Rendell, Governor of the State of Pennsylvania
The Honorable Robert Menendez, U.S. Senator, New Jersey
Mark Zandi, Moody's Chief Economist and Co-Founder, Economy.com
As our economy shifted dramatically in the last year, many have wondered how the nation and our region would recover. A new president has set the tone with a massive economic stimulus package, but what long-term investments and changes do we need to make to overcome the current crisis and ensure we limit our exposure in the future?
At RPA's 19th Annual Regional Assembly "America 2050: Building the Next Economy," experts in the fields of transportation, energy, housing, water and the economy will discuss how we arrived at the current crisis and what an equitable, sustainable and economically competitive future might look like for the tri-state region and for the nation.
This year's Assembly will be held on Friday, April 17th at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City and will feature keynote speeches, workshops and panel discussions led by prominent political, civic and business leaders from around the region and nation who will discuss how to repair our fractured economy.
Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell will deliver the Assembly's morning keynote on the Obama Administration's recently passed stimulus package and the impact the sweeping plan will have on the nation's infrastructure investment capabilities. The morning plenary session will feature a roundtable discussion exploring whether Washington, D.C. will be able to look beyond stimulus to a long-term recovery. The panel will be moderated by Washington Post editorial writer Jonathan Capehart and will feature U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), RPA President Robert Yaro, Peterson Foundation CEO David Walker, King County Executive Ron Sims and New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
Central to every Regional Assembly is the opportunity for participants to interact with and hear from some of the nation's most innovative experts. This year five breakout sessions will cover a range of topics related to our economic recovery theme and will address the specific investments needed in energy, housing, transportation, water and economic infrastructure to ensure a bright and prosperous future.
"Building the Foundations for Recovery" will be moderated by Timur Galen, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs & Co. Mr. Galen will lead a discussion of economic development experts and public officials about the ability of the tri-state region to bounce back from the economic crisis and how the economic profile and geography of the region will change as a result.
"Energy: (Green) Power to the People" will be led by Dylan Hixon,
President, Arden Road Investments, and will generate a discussion of
what progress is being made toward renewable energy sources and a smart grid, future hurdles and opportunities, and why reformulating the
nation's electricity system is essential to the next economy.
"Housing: Housing Policy and the New Economy" will be moderated by Fernando Ferrer, Co-Chairman of Fleischman-Hillard Government Relations, and will discuss what political leaders, financial institutions and developers can do to restructure the housing industry, stabilize home equity and minimize foreclosures.
"Transportation: Transportation Projects in an Economic Downturn" will be moderated by Ira Levy, Northeast Region Chief Executive, AECOM USA, Inc., to examine how federal policy can expand the local and regional financing options for building and maintaining transportation infrastructure and transit systems.
"Water: Blue Gold: Economic and Environmental Returns from Water Infrastructure Investment" will be moderated by Christopher J. Daggett, Principal, JM Sorge, Inc., and will explore four smart, economically productive and forward-thinking areas of opportunity for investment: restoring wetlands and floodplains to combat the flooding caused by global warming, identifying the relationship between sewer investment and smart growth in the suburbs, repairing and upgrading our inefficient drinking water structure, and collecting storm water in urban areas
through innovative means.
The luncheon program will feature Governor David Paterson's presentation of the RPA Lifetime Leadership Award to Richard Ravitch, a long-time RPA board member. The award will recognize Mr. Ravitch's past and continuing role in revitalizing the region's transportation system as Chair of the MTA from 1979 to 1983 as well as his recent role as Chairman of the Governor's Commission on Metropolitan Transportation Authority Financing - the entity charged with finding solutions to the MTA's multi-billion dollar budget gaps.
Mark Zandi, Moody's Chief Economist and Co-Founder of Economy.com will deliver the afternoon keynote address. Mr. Zandi, a leading national voice who has served as economic advisor to Barack Obama and John McCain, will discuss the events leading to the economic crash, the current state of the economy, where it is headed and what can be done to spur recovery.
Join us at this year's Regional Assembly as we take an in-depth look at necessary steps to a more sustainable future, financially and environmentally. The solutions will require thoughtful planning for the long term, values that have been at RPA's core for more than 80 years.
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