exc ite you th su m m it

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CITIES OF TOMORROW CONFERENCE June 18-20, 2017 Calgary, Alberta

After months of preparation and planning, excite held the Cities of Tomorrow Conference this past June in Calgary, Alberta. The summit-style conference brought together excite members, executive members from Student Chapters, and early career professionals from across Canada to connect, discuss, and learn about the key elements required for building a future city. The organization of the conference sessions carried delegates through the design process – from the initial need to the final concept.

BY HEATHER GOODMAN PARADIGM TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS LTD.

emerging members in CITE

excite is a new initiative formed to help you get involved in CITE and develop in your profession. excite is for emerging members: whether you are a student or recent grad, early in your career, or just getting involved in CITE, this is the place for you to LEARN, CONNECT, CONTRIBUTE and GROW.

SPARK! The Welcome/Kickoff event focused on engaging delegates and sparking discussion around the problems of today and the challenges of tomorrow in the field of transportation. A Pecha Kucha session featured five presenters answering the question “What is a City of Tomorrow?” by highlighting emerging and innovative transportation trends in Calgary and beyond. Their 7 minute presentations included 20 slides shown for 20 seconds on topics ranging from autonomous vehicles in cities to designing not only for diversity but inclusivity.

WHY? In an ever-changing social and technological environment, new professionals need to be able to anticipate changes and adapt to new challenges to stay competitive and effectively serve the public. We need to “Unlock Our City” and provide solutions that meet the needs of the people who live in it, solutions that protect the environment and support economic vitality all while making it easier to involve the community. Speakers presented projects demonstrating innovative ways to involve the public and blend with the environment.

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DESIGN… Traditionally, design follows a rigid process that doesn’t necessarily meet the needs of the user. As new professionals are confronted with more and more projects that don’t fit the box, they need alternative methods to develop a solution. The presenters in this session introduced innovative ways of approaching design: as a process, as a way of thinking, for the user, with nature, and for sustainability. Recognizing design is a fluid process, one can approach a project with these elements in mind to create an innovative solution to fit the needs of today and tomorrow.

OBSERVE With technology at our fingertips, it’s easy to quickly snap a few pictures, pull up a map on the internet, or drive by via Google street View. But how often do we take time to reconnect with the environment and simply observe the surroundings? During this session, delegates had the opportunity to walk through the East Village in Calgary and observe – walk for 100 steps and then look around and record for three minutes, and repeat 15 times.

TRANSPORTATION TALK | SUMMER 2017 ICONS MADE BY FREEPIK AND VECTORS MARKET FROM WWW.FLATICON.COM