Global Urban Summit CityLab Detroit to be Held in October

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CityLab, a global cities summit organized by the Aspen Institute, The Atlantic, and Bloomberg Philanthropies to address urgent urban issues, is coming to Detroit next month and will feature such speakers as Mary Barra, chairman and CEO of General Motors Co., and Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City.

Following last year’s event in Paris, CityLab Detroit will take place at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel from October 28-30, with additional site visits and events to be held throughout the city. This is the first time the event will take place in a heartland city.

CityLab Detroit will feature conversations, interviews, and debates with:

  • Mary Barra, chairman and CEO of General Motors Co.
  • Hannah Beachler, production designer of films like “Black Panther” and “Moonlight.” She will describe how to tell the story of a city in film
  • Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao on reimagining affordable housing;
  • Michael R. Bloomberg, three-term mayor of New York City, entrepreneur, and philanthropist
  • Keisha Lance Bottoms, mayor of Atlanta
  • David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times and executive director of the Aspen Institute
  • Ana Mari Cauce of the University of Washington, Mark Schlissel of the University of Michigan, and Mary Schmidt Campbell of Spelman College
  • Robin Chase, co-founder of Zipcar, Veniam, & PeersInc
  • Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan
  • Dan Doctoroff, founder and CEO, Sidewalk Labs
  • James and Deborah Fallows, writers at The Atlantic and authors of Our Towns
  • Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken Loans Inc. and Rock Ventures
  • Chris Ilitch, owner of the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings, and Stephen M. Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins
  • President Kersti Kaljulaid of the Republic of Estonia, the most digital government in the world
  • Scott Kubly, chief programs officer, LimeBike
  • Rip Rapson, president and CEO of the Kresge Foundation in Troy
  • Michael Tubbs, mayor of Stockton, CA
  • Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. 



Some of the mayors who will attend CityLab Detroit are from the following cities: Akron; Albuquerque; Anchorage; Athens; Atlanta; Baltimore; Braga, Portugal; Camden; Charlotte; Durham; Henderson, NV; Lansing; Long Beach; Miami; Oklahoma City; Palermo, Italy; Quillota, Chile; Saltillo, Mexico; San Jose; Santiago, Chile; Seattle; Sintra, Portugal; Stockton; St. Louis; St. Paul; Utrecht, Netherlands; and Tacoma.

Individual sessions will explore topics that include new urban technology and design trends, how to build stronger city communities, and stories from local entrepreneurs.

The first CityLab summit was held in New York City in 2013, and subsequent events have been hosted in Los Angeles (2014), London (2015), Miami (2016), and Paris (2017). Over the last five years, CityLab has involved participants from over 400 cities, including hundreds of mayors.