During Mayor Karl Dean's tenure, the City of Nashville experienced an extraordinary construction boom, as it worked to expand public transit, connect neighborhoods, and strengthen the city's brand. What can the Boston region learn from Nashville's efforts? Can cities outgrow their identities, and how do architects and city planners work together to develop new brands?

Please join a conversation between Geeta Pradhan, President of the Cambridge Community Foundation and Nashville’s former Mayor Dean, the first Mayor in Residence at the Boston University Initiative on Cities. The conversation will touch on issues of equity, access, and exploring the relationship between civic goals and the physical city.

2.0 LUs are available to those who qualify.

Karl Dean served two consecutive terms as Mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County from 2007 until 2015. During his years in office, Mayor Dean worked diligently to improve Nashville’s quality of life by promoting health, sustainability, community development, and volunteerism. In addition to serving as the first Mayor in Residence at the Boston University Initiative on Cities, Mayor Dean is also BU’s Visiting Professor in the Department of Political Science. He is currently teaching a course called The Contemporary American City: Challenges and Opportunities.

Geeta Pradhan is president of the Cambridge Community Foundation, and has a deep background in philanthropy, urban planning and economic development. Pradhan comes from the Boston Foundation, where she oversaw community impact and grantmaking in Education, Health, Jobs, Housing & Neighborhoods and the Arts. Pradhan also played a leading role in a range of initiatives and collaborative ventures, including work on the Fairmount Corridor Initiative. Pradhan earlier served in local government, as director of the Sustainable Boston Initiative, following a leadership role in the Department of Neighborhood Development for the City of Boston.