This year’s CitiesAlive has passed, and it was another resounding success! CitiesAlive: 9th Annual Green Roof and Wall Conference took place from November 30th to December 3rd in Philadelphia, PA, the new epicenter of green infrastructure investment. Attendees saw first-hand the commitment made by the City of Philadelphia to making it the greenest city in North America. And, as with every CitiesAlive, design, research, and policy experts converged to share the most up-to-date knowledge on green roofs and walls in North America. To purchase the audio proceedings, please go to the Living Architecture Academy.

Keynote speakers at the Opening Plenary spoke to the capacity crowd on bringing the tenets of green infrastructure to policies and programs. Howard Neukrug of the Philadelphia Water Department spoke about his City’s impressive Green City, Clean Waters initiative. Under Mr. Neukrug’s leadership the core meaning of a water utility is being redefined to embrace sustainability! Kevin Kampshroer, Director of the Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings with the US General Services Administration discussed the many measures the GSA is taking to make American federal buildings more sustainable, including the increasing application of green roofs. And Drew Becher spoke on the dynamic initiatives that the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is spearheading to make Philadelphia greener.

The City of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society were great co-hosts, and ensured that the conference had a distinctly Philadelphia flavor. The Local Host Committee reception at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts was an excellent networking opportunity in a beautiful location, and the tours showed how Philadelphia is becoming a green roof force to be reckoned with.

The Awards of Excellence showcased outstanding work in design, policy, and research. Congratulations to the winners and everyone who submitted. To learn more about the Awards of Excellence click here.

Winners of the 2011 Awards of Excellence (L to R): Howard Neukrug, Philadelphia Water Dept.; Peter Schaudt, Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects; Chris Pommer, PLANT Architect; Judeen Terrey, Ten Eyck Landscape Architects; Patrick Carey, Hadj Design; Paulo Cesar Tabares-Velasco, National Renewable Energy Lab; Casey Lyon, Habitat Gardens; Marguerite Wells, Motherplants (MC); Paul Kephart, Rana Creek; Dylan Peck, Kelco Construction; Ben Flanner, Brooklyn Grange; Steven Peck, President of GRHC; Jeffrey Bruce, Chair of GRHC (MC). 

We would like to once again thank our sponsors, who not only contribute the financial resources that make these conferences happen but also share a long standing commitment to the industry and its collective growth and development.

We would like to thank our exhibitors, many of whom are also corporate members, for being a source of a tremendous amount of product and service innovation. Our corporate membership is the backbone of our industry, and under the leadership of Oscar Warmerdam, Chair of the Corporate Members Committee and the new Ambassador Program we can expect more policy breakthroughs in the years to come.

We would like to thank the many leaders who served in the local host committee for helping us on the ground to organize such a successful conference.

And we would finally like to thank the more than 700 attendees that participated in CitiesAlive. We hope it was informative and fun, and that you use the knowledge and contacts you gained to help grow the green roof and wall industry!

We look forward to seeing you next October 17-20, 2012 in Chicago for our 10th Anniversary! Save the date!