21st Annual Urban Waterfronts Conference

The Waterfront Center

The Waterfront Center's 21st International Conference

on Urban Waterfront Planning, Development and Culture

September 11-13, 2003

Montréal, Québec, Canada at the Hilton Montréal Bonaventure

"Rendez-vous Sur la Rive," this year's conference theme, speaks to the conference locale in French Canada on the St. Lawrence River, only the second time in 21 years the meeting has been held outside the U.S. The conference looks at current urban waterfront planning, development and culture as projects unfold in communities everywhere and features 33 presenters from varied disciplines.

A conference highlight is the announcement on Friday afternoon, September 12th, of the 2003 "Excellence on the Waterfront" awards for built projects, comprehensive plans and grassroots citizen's efforts, selected by an interdisciplinary jury. This year's jury is headed by Ed Freer, landscape architect and principal, Smithgroup/JJR, Madison, Wisc.

The conference consists of nine panels of three practitioners each on a range of current topics under the general headings of Economic Development, Design Challenges and Policy Issues. Three roundtable discussions with two facilitators each are also offered, giving registrants a choice of four sessions on Friday morning the 12th, Friday afternoon and again on Saturday morning the 13th.

Among the topics to be covered this year are: How to Market Your Project and Gain Public Support; Green Design on the Waterfront; and Waterfronts: Keeping the Funk.

Special guided pre-conference tours of the waterfront in Montréal will be offered on Thursday, September 11th (additional registration required), including the Lachine Canal restoration and the transformation of the Expo Islands. Saturday afternoon tours of area attractions will also be offered on September 13th.

Cutoff date for an early conference registration fee and for a special low room rate at the Hilton Montréal Bonaventure is Saturday, August 9, 2003.

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Contact: Martine Hergenreder, more information at 202-337-0356,

or visit our WEB site: www.waterfrontcenter.org. for conference details.