MacroCity, A San Francisco Conference on the Fascinating World of Urban Infrastructure

MacroCity, a conference on the often overlooked but fascinating world of urban infrastructure, takes place May 30 and 31, 2014, in San Francisco. A diverse array of speakers, including Laughing Squid partner John Law, will discuss everything from shipping networks to water supply. Attendees will have the option of registering for field trips to Bay Area infrastructure sites including a strip mine and the Oakland Tribune tower (only certain tickets qualify for this). A limited number of complimentary tickets are available to Laughing Squid readers: use the code tentacular2014 when you register online (act fast, the comps will not last long!) MacroCity is presented by the Bay Area Infrastructure Observatory.

We rarely see in full the cities that we live in. Focused on our daily lives, urban dwellers are often only dimly aware of the numerous, enmeshed layers of critical infrastructure that quietly hum in the background to make modern life possible.

There are amazing stories and surprising histories to be found lurking just below the surface: the architecting of dense thickets of trade and shipping that make the modern economy possible, the design and planning of systems of public transportation, and the continual battle over the flows and accessibility of water, to name a few.

images via MacroCity

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips