DATE: 4:30-7:30 p.m., Friday, March 19; 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Saturday, March 20, 2010.

EVENT: An international roster of speakers will address some of the most critical issues facing cities and their environs during the Future of Urbanism conference, hosted by the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.

Saskia Sassen from Columbia University and London School of Economics, and Myron Orfield of University of Minnesota’s Institute on Race & Poverty and Brookings Institute are among the featured experts.

Each participant will have 15 minutes to present their views on one of six topics related to the future of urbanism: urban and regional ecologies; the urbanism of inequity; megacity versus shrinking city; imaging the city/representing the future; social conflicts in cities; and new public spaces. Following each session, presenters will convene in panels to address the specific topics.

The presentations are free and open to the public. The event will be taped and the segments will be available on the college’s YouTube site in April: www.taubmancollege.umich.edu/youtube.

Future of Urbanism is the second conference in a series of events that brings together international experts to provide insight and debate on design initiatives past, present and future. Future of Design was held in the fall 2009; Future of Technology is scheduled for fall 2010; and Future of History will be held winter 2011.

PLACE: Rackham Auditorium, 915 E. Washington St. Ann Arbor, Mich. http://www.ums.org/s_tickets/directions_parking.asp

TO REGISTER: www.taubmancollege.umich.edu/futureofurbanism

SPONSOR: U-M’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.