Alex Petric (MSc, Rural Planning & Development) recently attended the Modelling Complex Urban Environments Conference at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. Held on June 21-22, 2018, this event was organized by the Waterloo Institute for Complexity & Innovation and brought together leading thinkers and researchers to discuss Big Data, Smart Cities, and methods of modelling urban environments. Though not having a major focus on rural areas, the conference offered an opportunity to network with others and share ideas on the interplay between developing trends in data use and continuing social changes in 21st-century communities.

Among others, notable speakers included Geoffrey West, author of Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies; Pamela Robinson, Associate Professor of Urban Planning at Ryerson University; and Alex Anas, Professor of Economics at the University of Buffalo.

To learn more about the Modelling Complex Urban Environments Conference and view the conference program of speakers, click here: https://uwaterloo.ca/complexity-innovation/events/wici-conference-modelling-complex-urban-environments-june-21