An interesting effort that puts Kansas City at the center of the discussion of urban renewal . . . Check it:

Mayor James announces Kansas City will host Summit on the New American City

First-in-the-nation conference to draw high-profile leaders to Kansas City December 3rd and 4th

Kansas City will be the location for a national conversation on the future of American cities and their role in building a strong economy and healthy society.

The Summit on the New American City will be held December 3 and 4, 2012 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The two-day conference will be hosted by Mayor Sylvester "Sly" James, who is inviting Mayors and business leaders from across the United States to discuss the ideas and partnerships to build -- and re-build -- America's cities.

"Our cities are the foundations of our great country. How we build and design them, how we live and work in them and how we make them centers of entrepreneurship and innovation are some of the most important questions facing our country's future" said Mayor James. "We need to come together to explore the ideas and partnerships to shape our urban future."

The New American City Summit, organized by CityAge, will gather mayors, business leaders, urban visionaries and city builders from across the United States and abroad in Kansas City to take part in this vital conversation. Subjects to be addressed and speakers can be found -- and will be updated -- at www.cityage.org.

Mayor James invites you to attend.

Confirmed Speakers at The New American City:

Sly James, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri

Joe Reardon, Mayor of Kansas City, Kansas

Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston, Texas

Anthony Foxx, Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina

Jean Quan, Mayor of Oakland, California

A.C. Wharton, Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee

Jim Gray, Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky

Pat Kennedy, Founder and CEO, OSIsoft

Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Planner, City of Toronto

Nigel Jacob, Co-Chairman, Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston

Jaana Remes, Senior Fellow, McKinsey Global Institute

Paul Doherty, President, Screampoint

Gail Lord, Co-President, Lord Cultural Resources

Peter Miscovich, Managing Director, Corporate Solutions, Jones Lang Lasalle

Alan Boniface, Principal, DIALOG Urban Planning

MIlo Medin, Vice President, Access Services, Google

Gordon Feller, Director, Urban Innovations, Cisco

John Wilbanks, Senior Fellow, Kauffman Foundation

Many more speakers will be announced over the coming weeks.

http://www.tonyskansascity.com/2012/09/tkc-breaking-news-kansas-city-mayor-sly.html