DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nationally known experts on sustainability—especially of the systems
that support cities—will join city officials and local civic leaders for
an eye-opening look at “What Makes a Resilient City?” during a day-long
conference presented by the Sustainability Forum of the Dallas
Institute’s Center for the City. The conference will take place 9
a.m.-4 p.m., Friday, April 19, in the Dallas City Council Chambers at
1500 Marilla Street. Admission is $ 30 for members of The Dallas
Institute and its co-sponsors, $ 45 for nonmembers, and $ 10 for member
teachers. To register, visit www.dallasinstitute.org,
or call (214) 871-2440.

“Our goal is to create a conversation during which we can share ideas
that can improve our cities”

Keynote speakers are award-winning author and expert on complex systems Thomas
Homer-Dixon and NYU urbanist and authority on cities, culture, and
politics Eric Klinenberg. Other participants will include Dallas
city officials and civic leaders from a variety of fields. The
Sustainability Forum is a program of the Dallas Institute’s Center for
the City, whose director is Dr. Gail Thomas, president and
executive director of the Trinity Trust.

“Our goal is to create a conversation during which we can share ideas
that can improve our cities,” said Dr. Larry Allums, executive
director of the Dallas Institute. “Gail Thomas started our ‘What Makes a
City?’ conference 31 years ago. The topic this year will help us imagine
and plan for what lies ahead and allow us to understand the concept of
resilience, which is being considered increasingly in cities around the
world.”

Thomas Homer-Dixon is one of the world’s leading experts on the
intricate links between society, technology, and nature. In simple,
clear language, he helps audiences understand how our world is changing.
He shows how economic challenges, new technologies, and environmental
changes affect people, companies, and societies – and how we can turn
these challenges to our advantage and be better off as a result. His
book The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of
Civilization was an immediate #1 best-seller and the winner of the
2006 National Business Book Award.

Eric Klinenberg is Professor of Sociology at NYU and one of America’s
leading voices on cities, culture, media, and politics. He is the author
of three books: Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago;
Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America’s Media; and Going
Solo: the Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone.
In addition to his books and scholarly articles, he has contributed to
The New York Times Magazine, Fortune, Time, Rolling Stone, The Wall
Street Journal, The London Review of Books, and The Nation, among
other publications, and to the radio program This American Life.
His recent article in the January 7th New Yorker is titled
“Adaptation: How Can Cities Be ‘Climate-proofed’?”

Dr. Gail Thomas, Co-Founder and Director for 17 years of The Dallas
Institute and present Director of its Center for the City, serves
currently as President and CEO of The Trinity Trust. She has made her
life work the study and restoration of vibrant cities, having conducted
over thirty conferences and seminars during the past thirty years
exploring the question “What Makes a City?” and involving urban
planners, poets, engineers, educators, and business entrepreneurs. Her
application of these concerns has resulted in Pegasus Plaza in Downtown
Dallas, a restoration of the Pegasus atop the Magnolia Building, and,
for the past decade and more, efforts to reclaim the Trinity River
through the Trinity River Corridor project. Thomas has spent her life
transforming cities, and her work has resulted in tremendous change in
Dallas and many other cities.

The event is co-sponsored by D Magazine, Earth NT, EarthPeople,
Forté Prime, People Newspapers, and White Rock Lake Weekly. For
sponsorship information, please call Judy Pollock, (214) 981-8810.

NOTE TO MEDIA: For interview requests, please contact Amy Jones, [email protected],
(214) 890-7912 ext 30, or Gabrielle Wallace, [email protected],
(214) 890-7912 ext 41.

ABOUT THE DALLAS INSTITUTE OF HUMANITIES & CULTURE

The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture is a 501(c)3 nonprofit
educational organization with a 20-member Board of Directors comprised
of community leaders. Created in 1980, The Dallas Institute is a center
for creative and intellectual exchange, providing enriching programs for
the public that are grounded in the wisdom of the humanities, laying the
foundation for Dallas to realize its full potential for cultural
excellence. The Dallas Institute is located at 2719 Routh St., Dallas,
Texas 75201. For information, call (214) 871-2440, or visit www.DallasInstitute.org

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