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October 2, 2008

Save the Date: America 2050 Forum in Chicago November 17th

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Rebuilding and Renewing America: Infrastructure Choices in the Great Lakes Megaregion
Monday, November 17, 2008
8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago 

Freight congestion, aging bridges, insufficient mass transit, brownouts, soaring energy costs, flooding, and polluted waters - all news in recent years, and all partially the results of continued strain on our nation's infrastructure.  At the same time, the need for an economic stimulus is greater than ever. The presidential election in November 2008 gives us a fresh opportunity to set a new agenda for infrastructure investment in the Great Lakes megaregion to revive the flagging economy and to compete globally.

Join Chicago's Metropolitan Planning Council and New York's Regional Plan Association on November 17th to identify and prioritize strategic investments in transportation, water, and energy to be included in a national infrastructure plan, authorization of a new surface transportation bill, pending climate change legislation, and implementation of the Great Lakes Compact.  Leaders from the Great Lakes business, civic, government, and academic communities are encouraged to attend and help define this emerging federal-regional agenda.   

Invited speakers include Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

This forum is part of America 2050 (www.America2050.org), a national initiative to develop an infrastructure strategy for America's future growth, competitiveness and sustainability.

Register online at www.metroplanning.org/greatlakesmegaregion.  There is a registration fee of $50 for the full-day event.  If you have any questions, please contact Josh Ellis at jellis@metroplanning.org, or 312.863.6045.

This forum is organized locally by the Metropolitan Planning Council and nationally by the Regional Plan Association, which is grateful for funding support from the Rockefeller Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.


America 2050