TORONTO, September 19, 2013 – More than half the world’s population lives in cities and much of what counts as urbanization is actually suburbanization, from the wealthy gated communities of Southern California, to the high rise-dominated suburbs of Europe and Canada, the exploding outskirts of Indian and Chinese cities, and the slums and squatter settlements in Africa and Latin America. From Thursday, Sept. 26 to Saturday, Sept. 28, The City Institute at York University will bring together more than 100 scholars and urban practitioners from around the world to explore this universal – yet often overlooked – suburban experience.

The York U City Institute’s Major Collaborative Research Initiative (MCRI) Global Suburbanisms: Governance, Land and Infrastructure in the 21st Century conference will feature dozens of panels on issues such as reducing auto-dependency, social justice and immigrant settlement in local suburbs.

Consider that:

• Most urban growth worldwide in the 21st century takes the form of peripheral or suburban development. Whether by choice or by force, builders, residents and workers, rich and poor, construct, live and work in urban peripheries around the world.
• According to a new report, despite the downtown condo boom, five times as many Canadians continue to opt for homes on our cities’ suburban edges.
• (Sub)Urbanization marks the moment of our shared experience as planetary citizens even though built forms differ. Problems in Don Mills or Rexdale have counterparts in Paris and Shanghai.
• Suburban building forms in Brampton, ON, or Surrey, BC, both lead and follow developments in South Asia and China; global processes have local connections.

Conference highlights include:

• The launch of Suburban Constellations, edited by York University professor Roger Keil – the first major publication of the MCRI; a first account of global developments in a widely illustrated, comprehensive volume.
•  The unveiling of  the Greater Toronto Suburban Working Group's "Roundtable Report", a call to arms for citizen activists and political change developed by a multi-sectoral group of Greater Toronto Area agencies, scholars and practitioners aimed at changing the conversation and taking the sub out of suburbanisms (Sept. 27,12:45pm)

For full conference program, click here

What: Global Suburbanisms: Governance, Land and Infrastructure in the 21st conference
Where: Registration will be at the CIBC Lobby of the Accolade East Building, Sept. 26, 11:30am (#92 on map)
When: September 26-28, 2013

The Major Collaborative Research Initiative’s Global Suburbanisms: Governance, Land and Infrastructure in the 21st Century is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). This conference, presented through CITY, in collaboration with the Canadian Urban Institute and sponsored by SSHRC and York University, represents the mid-term meeting of this initiative.

York University is helping to shape the global thinkers and thinking that will define tomorrow. York U’s unwavering commitment to excellence reflects a rich diversity of perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility that sets us apart. A York U degree empowers graduates to thrive in the world and achieve their life goals through a rigorous academic foundation balanced by real-world experiential education. As a globally recognized research centre, York U is fully engaged in the critical discussions that lead to innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global social challenges. York U’s 11 faculties and 28 research centres are thinking bigger, broader and more globally, partnering with 288 leading universities worldwide. York U's community is strong − 55,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and more than 250,000 alumni.

Media Contact: Robin Heron, Media Relations, and York University, 416-736-2100 x22097 /rheron@yorku.ca