Thursday

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9:35
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10:35
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10:45
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11:45
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4:00
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5:00
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5:20
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5:30
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Thursday, September 24
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Registration / fruit and coffee
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Welcome – David Crossley, Houston Tomorrow
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Welcome to Houston - Dan Bellow, Chairman,
Greater Houston Partnership
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Tier One universities: the benefits – Bill Hobby,
former lieutenant Governor of Texas
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Overview – David Crossley
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Megaregions & The Case for a National Infrastructure Policy
Petra Todorovich, America 2050
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Metro growth is creating a new scale of geography known as the megaregion.
Interlocking economic systems, shared natural resources and ecosystems,
and common transportation systems increase pressure to coordinate policy
at this expanded scale. What do these megaregions look like, where are they,
and what is the imperative to devise national infrastructure policies to
support these growing places?
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Megaregions: A Framework for 21st Century Development -
case studies from across the nation

Moderator: Petra Todorovich
The Northeast Megaregion, Robert Yaro, Regional Plan Association
The Southwest Megaregion, Mark Pisano, America 2050
The Arizona Sun Corridor, Robert Lang, Brookings Mountain West
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Several megaregions have been organizing collaborative policy structures for
some years. What do these initiatives look like, and how are they affecting
policy?
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Break
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The Texas Triangle: Issues, challenges, opportunities
Moderator: Robert Yaro
Frederick Steiner, University of Texas
Michael Neuman, Texas A&M
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The speakers will explore the economic and infrastructure issues in the
Triangle and the collaboration required to address them.
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Lunch
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Luncheon Panel: Regional & megaregional equity
Moderator: Dwayne Marsh, PolicyLink
Stephen Klineberg, Ph.D., Rice University Department of Sociology
Amanda Timm, Executive Director, LISC – Greater Houston.
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As the Texas Triangle grows, how can we be sure that policies address
disparities in affordable housing, transportation investment, and
environmental justice?
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Food & Water: Are we secure?
Moderator: John Jacob, Texas Sea Grant
Bruce McCarl, Professor of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M
Bob Randall, Urban Harvest
Dan Hardin, Ph.D. Texas Water Development Board
Jim Holway, Sonoran Institute
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What are the prospects for availability and quality of those essentials as
growing populations require more resources and transportation costs climb?
Could the Triangle feed itself?
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Energy: Can we use less? Can we get more?
Amy Myers Jaffe, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice U.
Ray Orbach, Director of the University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Institute
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What are the sources of energy, what shifts are occurring in production and
use? Can efficiencies and changing behavior reduce demand?
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Break
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Transportation: Prorities are changing. How?
Overview and moderator: David Goldberg, Transportation for America
Frank Wilson, CEO, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Houston
Alan Clark, Director of Transportation and Air Quality Programs, H-GAC
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People need access to each other and to products and services. At the
megaregion scale, what are the mobility issues? What vision is necessary
to support a robust system?
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Green Infrastructure: What is its value; how do we retain that?
John Jacob, Texas Sea Grant
Karen Walz, Project Manager, Vision North Texas
Dean Almy, School of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin
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The natural world provides important services at no cost, supports the
growing of food and forestry products, and allows recreation and
exploration in nature. What are the threats and opportunities facing
the Triangle?
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Surveying attitudes and priorities
Keypad voting session
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Wrap-up, Bob Yaro
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Reception on the balcony of the Crystal Ballroom overlooking downtown
sponsored by Morris Architects and Greenspoint, featuring Texas Triangle
wine from the Mandola Estate Winery provided by Tony Mandola’s Gulf
Coast Kitchen, as well as a cash bar and appetizers.