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Former four-term Mayor of Indianapolis and Congressman, author, public speaker, TV commentator, think tank fellow, elected official, and clergyman, Bill Hudnut is a Senior Fellow Emeritus at The Urban Land Institute in Washington, DC, and a principal in his own consulting firm, Bill Hudnut Consultants, LLC. Hudnut is probably best known for his sixteen-year tenure as Mayor of Indianapolis, 1976-1991, during which he advanced the city’s new “Unigov” form of merged governance with Marion County. His stated goal was to build a “cooperative, compassionate and competitive” city. He established “a national reputation for revitalizing his Midwestern city,” (The Washington Post) and came to be regarded as “an entrepreneurial leader willing to take prudent risks” (The Toledo Blade). He spearheaded the formation of a public-private sector partnership that led to Indianapolis’ emergence during the 1980s as a major American city. A past president of the National League of Cities, Hudnut helped Indianapolis record spectacular growth during his sixteen years in office Hudnut has recently served as Vice-Mayor of Chevy Chase, Maryland, and a member of the board of the National League of Cities. He was a member of the Millennial Housing Commission appointed by Congress during 2001-2002. Prior to his entry into public life, as a clergyman he served churches in Buffalo, N.Y., Annapolis, Md., and Indianapolis, Ind. After stepping down as Mayor, Hudnut held posts at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, the Hudson Institute in Indianapolis, and the Civic Federation in Chicago, before assuming his ULI post in 1996. A much sought-after speaker, “spirited…with high energy eloquence,” (The Toledo Blade) Hudnut “gives life to the word charismatic” (The Cincinnati Enquirer). He is the author of Minister Mayor (1987), a book reflecting on his experience in politics and religion; The Hudnut Years in Indianapolis, 1976-1991 (1995), a case study in urban management and leadership; Cities on the Rebound (1998), an analysis of clues to the successful city of the future; and Halfway to Everywhere (2003), a portrait of America‘s first tier suburbs. His latest book, published in 2008: Changing Metropolitan America: Planning for A Sustainable Future (ULI Press, 2008). His list of awards includes Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service in 1986, City and State magazine’s Outstanding Mayor of 1988, and the Rosa Parks Award from the American Association for Affirmative Action in 1992. Speech TopicsThe Seven Silent Crises of Metropolitan America, by Bill Hudnut How do we plan for a sustainable future when we are faced with so many challenges? The following seven land use issues greatly affect our quality of life and require concerted action on the part of citizens and elected officials. >> Regional Governance. Our urban areas are becoming increasingly complex. >> Land Use Planning. We need to reduce dependence on the car, increase accessibility to transit, and encourage transit-oriented development. >> The Infrastructure Deficit. Infrastructure spending as a percentage of federal spending has declined over the past four decades. Many roads are in poor to mediocre condition, bridges face structural deficiencies and functional obsolescence, levees are in danger of failure, and billions of dollars are lost in productivity due to flight delays. >> Global Warming and High Energy Costs. We need to emphasize infill development and well-designed density to get people to live closer to where they work. >> Workforce Housing. We need to develop more housing that is affordable to working Americans and more mixed-income communities. >> Urban Retail. Retail should be integrated into communities, not separated from them. >> Sustainability. Green infrastructure is a necessity, not an amenity, and we need to build more green buildings. For the full discussion of these crises, view the “Changing Metropolitan America” webinar, available on the ULI Web site at www.uli.org/webinars. Last updated April 9, 2009 |