The Penn Institute for Urban Research, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, The University of Pennsylvania and the Penn School of Veterinary Medicine, will be hosting Feeding Cities: Food Security in a Rapidly Urbanizing World, a conference designed to examine the relationship between urbanization and food security from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Key speakers include Executive Director of UN HABITAT, Dr. Joan Clos; Sri Lanka's Minister of Agriculture, Udaya Gammanpila; Penn Vet Dean, Joan Hendricks; President of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), Jim Harkness, and more than fifty high-level speakers who will address critical issues of global food production, distribution, access, and nutrition in the context of rapid urbanization and climate change.

WHERE:       
Houston Hall | University of Pennsylvania
3417 Spruce Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6306

WHEN:         
Wednesday, March 13 – Friday, March 15, 2013
Event kick off: Wednesday, March 13th at 5:30 PM at the Penn Museum featuring presentations by Dr. Joan Clos, Yael Lehmann, Executive Director of the Food Trust, and Ridwan Kamil, Founder and Principal of Urbane Indonesia.
Thursday and Friday, 9am-5pm: Keynotes, Plenary and Break-out Sessions, Houston Hall.

WHAT:         
With the global population projected to reach nine billion by 2050, of which more than 2/3rds will live in cities, the complex challenge of improving food security in a rapidly urbanizing world is urgent. The Penn Institute for Urban Research, in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania Schools of Veterinary Medicine, Arts & Sciences, Design, Education, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Social Policy, and Wharton, are pleased to present Feeding Cities: Food Security in a Rapidly Urbanizing World, the first global conference addressing the intersection of food security and urbanization. Feeding Cities spans three days and will incorporate keynote presentations, plenary panels, and focused breakout sessions designed to facilitate a discussion on implementable solutions to the fundamental challenge of our modern age: how to provide a sustainable, nutritious, and affordable diet to an increasing global population within the context of urbanization and climate change. Distinguished speakers and attendees across the public, private, and non-profit sectors will assemble to engage in dialogue focused on achieving this goal and creating a more sustainable and equitably distributed, 21st Century Food System. 

For more information about the 2013 Feeding Cities Conference, related activities, and to register, visit: http://www.feedingcities.com/

Penn Institute for Urban Research
The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) is dedicated to an increased understanding of cities through cross-disciplinary research, instruction, and civic engagement. As the global human population becomes increasingly urban, understanding cities is vital to informed decision-making and public policy at the local, national, and international levels. Penn IUR develops knowledge in three critical areas: innovative urban development strategies; building the sustainable and inclusive 21st-century city; and the role of anchor institutions in urban places. By providing a university-wide forum for collaborative scholarship and instruction, Penn IUR stimulates research and engages with the world of urban practitioners and policymakers.

Dr. Eugenie L. Birch, Co-Director
Lawrence C. Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research and Education and Professor and Chair of City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design

Dr. Susan M. Wachter, Co-Director
Richard B. Worley Professor of Financial Management and Professor of Real Estate and Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania