The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is proud to be the local host for the 2008 International Urban Parks Conference, Body and Soul: Parks and the Health of Great Cities, coming to Pittsburgh September 21 - 23.

This conference will put Pittsburgh's parks system on an international stage, with parks leaders and advocates from across the globe touring parks and the city during Pittsburgh's 250th birthday celebration.

Conference attendees will have the opportunity to:

· Meet innovators from around the world with a vision of urban parks as centers of health and well-being for people of all ages;

· Hear inspiring keynote addresses from environmentalist and philanthropist Teresa Heinz, human rights advocate Luis Garden Acosta, and Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder author Richard Louv;

· Participate in a series of mobile workshops in Pittsburgh's parks and take home practical information about management and restoration practices; and

· See how Pittsburgh is restoring its parks, reclaiming its rivers, and why it's been named the Greenest City in America.

Take advantage of a wide range of pre-conference activities including tours to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and the Olmsted-designed model industrial town, Vandergrift.

Body and Soul is a presentation of the City Parks Alliance, the National Association for Olmsted Parks, the City of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

To learn more, visit the 2008 International Urban Parks Conference webpage.

12/21/2007