PlanPhilly: Planning Philadelphia's Future

Architects, educators, community leaders, urban planners, business visionaries, journalists, filmmakers and more converge at daylong conference examining all aspects of urban life

PHILADELPHIA, PA, October 13, 2011 – TEDxPhilly<http://www.tedxphilly.com/>, a daylong multi-disciplinary conference championing great ideas, will examine vast interpretations of the theme The City on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at Temple University’s Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia. TEDxPhilly will bring together engaging speakers, performers, participants and exhibitors to deconstruct, decipher and explore some of the greatest challenges, innovations, concepts and realities that shape and are shaped by cities and their inhabitants.

Philadelphia is an undeniable source of creative, pioneering, forward thinking individuals. As the 5th most populous city in the U.S., the region both breeds and attracts leaders of today, raising the city’s profile as a hotbed of talent representing a wide range of disciplines. The city has also long been a stage for public discourse. Philadelphia is the point of departure, but the conversation will travel beyond its borders. Cities are small, large, near and far. They are complex, filled with nuance and layered with stories. Both local and visiting speakers will unpack the lived experience of city life through a high-energy exchange of ideas.

TEDxPhilly is an independently organized event, licensed by TED<http://www.ted.com/> and created in the spirit of the TED conference and its mission, “ideas worth spreading.” The program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level.

Architects, educators, community leaders and activists, public health professionals, urban planners, poets, technologists, journalists, filmmakers, non-profit luminaries, business visionaries, musicians, and others will converge to share some of the boldest and best ideas on cities. TEDxPhilly provides a platform for multiple points of view to interact within a common environment – building dialog amongst interested groups. TEDx talks and performances are varied in length, but last no more than 18 minutes.

Speakers discussing TEDxPhilly’s theme The City include:

 *   Keya Dannenbaum, Founder and CEO, Elect Next, the “eHarmony” for elections. Elect Next helps people vote intelligently by matching voters with candidates based on what matters to them most.

 *   Nijmie Dzurinko, Executive Director, Philadelphia Student Union, which develops youth leaders on the front lines of school reform. Nijmie is also co-founder of the Media Mobilizing Project, which exists to build a community media infrastructure for the growing movement to end poverty.

 *   Janet Echelman, Artist, in conversation with Susan Weiler, Partner, OLIN. Janet, who recently spoke at the 2011 TED conference, builds living, breathing sculpture environments that respond to the forces of nature – wind, water and light – and become inviting focal points for civic life. Susan's expertise in engineering and advanced construction technologies is the underpinning of her design work, which often involves the restoration or recreation of fragile and threatened components of the American cultural and natural landscape.

 *   Jon Foy, Director, Producer, Writer, Editor, and Composer of the compelling documentary film Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, a Directing Award-winner at Sundance, which explores the messages of mysterious origin found embedded in the asphalt of streets in cities in the U.S. and South America.

 *   Amy Hillier, Assistant Professor in City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania School of Design. Amy’s research focuses on the spatial analysis of public health disparities, including access to healthful foods and exposure to outdoor advertising.

 *   Yael Lehmann, Executive Director, The Food Trust, an award-winning nonprofit organization which strives to make healthy food available to all. Yael has directed the growth of the organization’s farmers’ markets, nutrition education programs, food retail development initiatives and other programs to promote access to affordable, nutritious food in low-income communities.

 *   Diana Lind, Urbanist and Writer. Diana is the editor in chief of Forefront, a new non-profit media organization launching in early 2012, and former editor in chief and publisher of Next American City, a leading urban policy magazine and nonprofit based in Philadelphia.

 *   Rich Medina, DJ. During his 20+ years in the music business, Rich has built a community shaped around music, taking multi-ethnic crowds on sonic journies through hip-hop, house, Afrobeat, funk and soul.

 *   Ethan Nguyen, Heath Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. Ethan’s research focuses on utilizing community networks and social media to improve health care access for immigrant and minority populations.

 *   Jen Pahlka, Founder & Executive Director, Code for America, which works with talented web professionals and cities around the country (including Philadelphia) to promote public service and reboot government.

 *   Philly Youth Poetry Movement with Gregory Corbin, Founder/Executive Director and Denice Frohman, Program Director. PYPM is a nonprofit organization committed to helping Philadelphia youth discover the power of their voices through spoken word and literary expression.

 *   Inga Saffron, Architecture Critic, Philadelphia Inquirer; 2011-12 Loeb Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Design. Inga has been writing about urban design issues for over a decade. She is drawn to projects of all sizes and shapes, but especially those that form the backdrop of our daily lives.

 *   Saturn Never Sleeps featuring music producer King Britt and singer/artist Rucyl. Saturn Never Sleeps performance combines laptop/electronics with heart melting vocals, improvised electronic instrumentation, heavy bass vibrations and sonic ambience.

 *   R. Eric Thomas, Storyteller. Eric is a dynamic storyteller, playwright and teaching artist. He frequently appears on Philadelphia stages and is a regular performer at the popular StorySlams series.

 *   Stanford Thompson & Play On, Philly!, Founding Director, Play On, Philly! Stanford is a musician and educator passionate about using music education and performance for social innovation.

 *   Youngjin Yoo, Director of Center for Design+Innovation, Temple University, has worked with IDEO, Gehry Partners, NASA, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, among others. Youngjin’s research interests include: digital innovation, design, experiential computing and knowledge management.

Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. Visittedxphilly.com<http://www.tedxphilly.com/> for up-to-date speaker announcements and to learn more about the event.

Chris Bartlett, Executive Director of Philadelphia’s William Way Center and a leader in technology-driven community organizing, returns for his second year as host of TEDxPhilly.

Premiering in 2010, TEDxPhilly’s inaugural program was a sold-out success. TEDxPhilly offers an interactive, immersive experience for all participants from speakers to attendees. The audience is as important as the presenters and will reflect the many passionate, motivated, and hard-working individuals and students who are part of the broader community of Philadelphia.

In addition to talks, TEDxPhilly will feature exhibitors and vendors from the local community who will be sharing their expertise throughout the day.

“The TEDxPhilly team has been working diligently to cultivate an environment where participants and speakers can engage in an active dialog around some of the most pressing issues of our day. Cities are full of opportunity and challenge. They represent our greatest dreams and fears,” said Roz Duffy, TEDxPhilly's organizer. “We hope to spark curiosity, encourage reflection, enable authentic connections and motivate attendees to engage with their surroundings in ways they had previously unimagined.”

TEDxPhilly is a not-for-profit, volunteer-driven event. All TEDxPhilly speakers recognize the importance of sharing great ideas and are generously donating their time. The 2011 TEDxPhilly conference will be held from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Temple University’s Performing Arts Center, located at 1837 North Broad Street. Tickets are on sale now and available for purchase at <http://www.tedxphilly.com/> tedxphilly<http://www.tedxphilly.com/>.<http://www.tedxphilly.com/>com<http://www.tedxphilly.com/>. Admission is $100 and includes an entire day of TEDxTalks, catered lunch, refreshments and a post-event reception. A limited number of scholarships will be available. For additional information, email info<mailto:info@tedxphilly.com>@<mailto:info@tedxphilly.com>tedxphilly<mailto:info@tedxphilly.com>.<mailto:info@tedxphilly.com>com<mailto:info@tedxphilly.com>.

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Press Contact: Emaleigh Doley | emaleighsays.com<http://www.emaleighsays.com/>
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