View photos from the most recent America 2050 Forum in Sacramento, California on December 2, 2008, featuring speakers Darrell Steinberg, Rep. Matsui, Rep. Blumenauer and Paul Rosenstiel.

Audio recordings are now available from the forum, "Rebuilding and Renewing America: Infrastructure Choices in the Great Lakes Megaregion" held on November 17 by Chicago's Metropolitan Planning Council and New York's Regional Plan Association.

The purpose of the forum was to identify and prioritize strategic investments in transportation, water, and energy infrastructure to be included in a national infrastructure and economic stimulus plan.

View a slide show of the event. 

Audio recordings were made by Chicago Amplified, a web-based audio archive of Chicago Public Radio. All recordings were made November 17, 2008 at the Chicago Hyatt Regency. The recordings include:

Opening Plenary Session with speakers MarySue Barrett, Robert Yaro,  Anne Prammagiore, Canadian Minister Peter Gordon MacKay,  U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, and John McCarron.

Roundtable on Transportation, featuring Petra Todorovich, Maureen McAvey, Rob Puentes, Ilana Preuss, and Michael McLaughlin

Roundtable on Water, featuring Al Appleton,  Samuel Speck, Deborah Shore, MaryAnn Dickenson, Katherine Baer, and Cameron Davis

Roundtable on Energy, featuring Catherine Morris, Sadhu Johnston, Kyle Barry, Wally Tyner, Anne Evens, and Val Jensen

MPO Collaboration in the Great Lakes Megaregion, featuring Randy Blankenhorn, Steve Ernst, Chester Jourdan, Terry Kohlbuss, Tony Reams, John Swanson, David Warm and Robin Snyderman.

Report Out and Closing Remarks, featuring MarySue Barrett, Catherine Morris, Al Appleton, Petra Todorovich, and Bob Yaro

Featured speakers included U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Tom Petri (R-WI) and Canadian Minister of Defense and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, Peter Gordon MacKay. Download the Agenda

This forum was 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.
.

California Senate President pro Tempore-Elect Darrell Steinberg will headline America 2050's regional infrastructure forum in Sacramento on December 2, 2008. Steinberg authored the groundbreaking new California law, SB-375, which provides incentives to regions who produce integrated land use and transportation plans to cut carbon emissions.

The forum, titled, "Investing in America's Competitiveness: An Infrastructure Strategy for the Nation and the Megaregion," will bring together 100 leaders from the business, civic, government, and academic communities in the Northern California megaregion to discuss a national and megaregional agenda for infrastructure investment that could shape the economic recovery plans of the Obama Administration and the new U.S. Congress in 2009.

The forum is hosted by a collaboration of Northern California civic and government organizations including the Bay Area Council, San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), Sacramento Council of Governments, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the San Joaquin Council of Governments, in conjunction with New York's Regional Plan Association.  It will contribute to an ongoing effort to create a national infrastructure plan that could shape an economic stimulus bill and economic recovery plan next year.  Leaders from the Northern California business, civic, government, and academic communities are encouraged to attend and help define this emerging federal-megaregion agenda. 

Download the Agenda.

For more information, please contact Lauren Straub at the Bay Area Council at (415) 946-8727 or lstraub@bayareacouncil.org.

The proceedings of the Rebuilding and Renewing America forum sponsored by America 2050 on May 9, 2008 in Washington, D.C. are now available for download. (3 MB)

The forum assembled business and labor leaders, Democratic and Republican members of Congress, transportation and engineering industry leaders and environmental advocates to address the pressing infrastructure challenges of our time.
The forum was co-sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, The Surdna Foundation, Regional Plan Association, and the Division of United States Studies at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

The report summarizes keynote addresses and remarks by Gov. Ed Rendell, Judith Rodin, Tom Donohue and U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Chris Shays, Rosa DeLauro and Tom Petri, among other noteworthy speakers. It also reports on roundtable discussions on energy, water, and transportation infrastructure.

The May 9 forum marked the launch of a national series of "Rebuilding and Renewing America" forums around the country to draw attention to the nation's growing infrastructure needs and gather input on the key priorities in growing megaregions.

Washington D.C. - On May 9th, America 2050 convened leaders in the business, civic, labor and philanthropic communities with members of Congress and the Governor of Pennsylvania to address the need for a 21st century infrastructure investment plan to rebuild and renew the nation's aging infrastructure and respond to the challenges of the 21st century. 

The event featured discussions on the topics of water, energy and transportation infrastructure and keynote addresses by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Governor Ed Rendell, Judith Rodin, president of The Rockefeller Foundation, and Tom Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 

Opening remarks and morning plenary featured remarks by Philippa Strum, Robert Yaro, Terence O'Sullivan, Gov. Rendell, and Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Rosa DeLauro, Tom Petri and Christopher Shays.

Watch the opening remarks and morning plenary panel.

Watch Judith Rodin's keynote address. 

Watch Tom Donohue's keynote address.

The Energy Roundtable featured Bob Baugh, Daniel Braun, Mark S. Dodson, Michael Exchart, Joseph P. Oates, and was moderated by Richard T. Thigpen. 

Watch the energy roundtable.

 

The Water Roundtable featured Steve Allbee, Sally Collins, Betsy Otto, Kevin L. Shafer and was moderated by Albert Appleton.

Watch the water roundtable.

Closing Plenary panel featured Jonathan Rose, Armando Carbonell, Bob Baugh, Al Appleton, and Mort Downey.

Watch the closing plenary panel. 

Over 130 participants gathered for the day-long event at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Division of United States Studies.  For additional information on the event, click here.

Download a copy of the briefing book.

View a slideshow of the event on Flickr.

Read the proposed legislation, H.R. 5976, to create a U.S. Commision on Rebuilding America for the 21st Century

 

Photos: Carol Powers

Washington D.C. - The transportation roundtable at the May 9th infrastructure forum, Rebuilding and Renewing America: Toward a 21st Century Infrastructure Investment Plan, was broadcast on C-SPAN.  Panelists included: MarySue Barrett, President, Metropolitan Planning Council of Chicago, Rob Puentes, Fellow, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Dr. T. Peter Ruane, president and CEO, American Road and Transportation Builders Association, Paul Weyrich, Chairman and CEO, Free Congress Foundation, and Commissioner, National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, and Mariia Zimmerman, Vice President for Policy, Reconnecting America.  The panel was moderated by Mortimer Downey, Chairman, PB Consult.

Watch the transportation roundtable on C-SPAN.

Pictured (L-R) are : Rob Puentes, Pete Ruane, Mariia Zimmerman, MarySue Barrett, Mort Downey

Washington, D.C. - On May 9 America 2050 will host a national forum on infrastructure investment, titled Rebuilding and Renewing America: Toward a 21st Century Infrastructure Investment Plan.  Supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the Surdna Foundation and the Division of United States Studies at the Woodrow Wilson Center, the forum will launch a civic-led effort to develop a national infrastructure investment plan for the U.S.: a framework for federal investment and complementary actions by states, local government, and the private sector.

The forum coincides with the Bicentennial and Centennial of plans during the Thomas Jefferson (1808) and Theodore Roosevelt (1908) administrations that later influenced the development of national railways and federal-led environmental restoration and power generation projects, respectively. For more information on these historic plans, download a paper by historian Robert  Fishman here.

The day-long forum will convene members of Congress with business industry representatives and leaders in labor, philanthropy and the environmental community to discuss the components of a national infrastructure plan, with sessions on national transportation, water and energy policies. Confirmed speakers include members of congress Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), James Oberstar (D-MN), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Tom Petri (R-WI), Christopher Shays (R-CT), Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Governor Edward Rendell (D-PA).  Keynote speeches will be given by Judith Rodin, President, The Rockefeller Foundation, who will speak about the impact the philanthropic community can make in creating a 21st century infrastructure agenda, and Thomas Donohue, President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce will speak on meeting the transportation and energy challenge of the 21st century.

To view the press advisory, click here.
To view the agenda, click here.
To view the briefing book, click here.

The forum is invitation only.