Through Vision North Texas, leaders and experts around the region have worked together to imagine a future that is better than the one predicted by current trends and projections. They have created a vision for a preferred future and a practical set of action steps North Texans can take to achieve this vision. Learn more about the 2011 Summit>>>

Keynote Presentation by Richard Florida

Richard Florida is an internationally known author, thinker and futurist. He is the acclaimed, best-selling author of The Rise of the Creative Class, Who’s Your City and, The Great Reset. Praise for Florida and his accomplishments are abundant. For instance, Florida was given the title of “the Bono of urban philosophers” by Steelcase 360. The Real Estate Channel has said, “Florida is one of the world's leading public intellectuals on economic competitiveness, demographic trends and cultural and technological innovation.” And the Denver Post remarked that he “draws a vivid picture of what it takes to make a great 21st-century city.”

He currently serves as a Senior Editor at The Atlantic and professor of business and creativity at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Most recently The University of Texas at Arlington announced that Florida will be joining UT Arlington as a visiting scholar in the School of Urban and Public Affairs. Florida visited North Texas last November to embark on a series of research initiatives which involves the local community, UT Arlington faculty, researchers and students, to leverage the existing assets and talents of the region to generate greater economic prosperity for North Texas.

Florida offers a fresh perspective and insight into the current socio-economic trends. His latest book, The Great Reset, pronounces that the current economic crisis is a substantial revolution which “new technologies and technological systems arise, the economy is recast and society remade, and the places where we live and work change to suit new needs.” Florida provides an encouraging assessment of where we are now, how we got here, and where we are headed.

Learn more about the 2011 Summit >>>

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