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Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Envisioning Urban Futures 2024

As part of The Long View Project, the Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs, the Peter A. Pappas Real Estate Development Program, and the NC State University Libraries invite you to explore cities of the near and distant future.

Collage by Tatiana Veloso (NC State LAEP, 2024)

Envisioning Urban Futures: Charlanta

As the population of the Southeastern U.S. continues to grow and urbanize, it is projected that sprawl could create a continuous urban landscape stretching from Charlotte to Atlanta and beyond, dubbed “Charlanta.” How can we grow in ways that draw on creativity, resilience, and innovative uses of technology to prioritize livability, sustainability, and harmony with the surrounding environment?

This event took place on Wednesday, Nov. 13th, 2024 from 5:30-9:00pm, in Hunt Library on NC State’s Centennial Campus. A follow-up to the previous year’s Envisioning Urban Futures event, it brought together experts from across disciplines to look at the Southeastern megalopolis and share visions for how growth can be compatible with livability and sustainability.

About the Long View Project

Event schedule:

  • 5:30-7:00 pm – Expo (posters, art, demos) and “future food”, drinks, music
  • 7:00-8:15 pm – Talks
  • 8:15-9:00 pm – Expo and networking (continued)

Keynote Speaker: Dan Burden

Dan Burden is widely recognized as a thought-leader and implementation-focused practitioner in walkability, active transportation, traffic calming, safe routes to school, placemaking, and street design. He brings diverse teams together, integrating transportation planning with land use and health programming to build inclusive and vibrant communities. His expertise is in helping communities envision and implement streets that promote walking, bicycling, and social engagement. (View his talk here.)

Featured Speakers

  • Welcome by Rob Dunn
  • Opening talk by Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell
  • Adam Terando – Research Ecologist with the US Geological Survey at the Southeast Climate Science Adaptation Center, North Carolina State University (View his talk here.)
  • Dara Bloom – Associate Professor of Agricultural and Human Sciences, and Assistant Director of Community Based Food Systems for the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, North Carolina State University (View her talk here.)
  • Francis de los Reyes – Glenn E. and Phyllis J. Futrell Distinguished Professor of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University (View his talk here.)
  • Liz McCormick – Assistant Professor of Architecture, UNC Charlotte (View her talk here.)
  • Discussion/Q&A with panelists

About the Symposium

This symposium is jointly organized and sponsored by NC State University’s Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs, NC State University’s Peter A. Pappas Real Estate Development Program, and the NC State University Libraries.

More Information

For more information on this event, or to be added to an interest list, please reach out to Dr. Jory Weintraub, Director of Science Engagement (weintraub@ncsu.edu).