Cities of Tomorrow Symposium
2025 Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy Symposium
"Cities of Tomorrow: Legal Approaches to Urban Health and Sustainability"
Friday, February 28, 2025
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
8:30 - 9 a.m. Check-in and breakfast
Burge Union (map and directions)
This year's symposium will feature scholars and practitioners exploring innovative legal and policy strategies to create healthier, more sustainable cities. Speakers will address a range of topics including environmental challenges in urban areas; public transit and mobility; and structural issues of race, class and geography that shape economic development and urban policy. Join us for an engaging exploration of the future of urban living and the pathways to resilience.
Keynote Speaker
Quinton Lucas
Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri

Speakers
- Chris Allen | Director of Events and Partnerships | Strong Towns
- Rebecca Bratspies | Professor; Director of the Center for Urban Environmental Reform | CUNY School of Law
- Audrey McFarlane | Dean Julius Isaacson Professor of Law; Associate Dean of Faculty Research & Development | University of Baltimore School of Law
- Joel Mendez | Assistant Professor | University of Kansas Urban Planning Program
- John Nolon | Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus; Co-Counsel, Land Use Law Center | Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
Schedule
8:30-9:00 a.m. | Check-in and Breakfast
9:00-9:15 a.m. | Welcome and opening remarks
Stephen Mazza, Dean and Professor of Law, University of Kansas School of Law
Emma Mays, Editor-in-Chief, Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy
Leah Stein, Symposium Editor, Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy
9:15-10:00 a.m. | Rebecca Bratspies, Director of the Center for Urban Environmental Reform, CUNY School of Law
10:00-10:45 a.m. | Audrey McFarlane, Dean Julius Isaacson Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Faculty Research & Development, University of Baltimore School of Law
The Challenges of Wealth Inequality for Equitable Urban Development
10:45-11:00 a.m. | Morning break
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Keynote address by Quinton Lucas, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri
12:00-1:00 p.m. | Lunch provided at Burge Union
1:00-1:45 p.m. | Chris Allen,Director of Events and Partnerships, Strong Towns
Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity
1:45-2:30 p.m. | Joel Mendez, Assistant Professor, University of Kansas Urban Planning Program
Building Healthy and Sustainable Cities: The Role of Equitable and Accessible Transit in Kansas
2:30-2:45 p.m. | Afternoon break
2:45-3:45 p.m. | John Nolon, Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus and Co-Counsel of Land Use Law Center, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
The Mysterious Power of Land Use Law: Constructing a Framework Law for Climate Resilient Development
3:45-3:50 p.m. | Closing remarks
Cost
The symposium is free and open to the public, but registration will be required.
Program Accessibility
If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this event, please contact Debbie Schmidt by February 14 at drschmidt@ku.edu or 785-864-5078, 771 TTY.
Symposium Issue
Scholarship associated with the symposium will be published in a summer 2025 issue of the Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy.
Questions?
Contact Symposium Editor Leah Stein at leah.stein@ku.edu.
Contact the Kansas Law Journal
Faculty Advisors
Richard Levy
rlevy@ku.edu
785-864-9220
Corey Rayburn Yung
coreyyung@ku.edu
785-864-4152