In the morning session of The Future of the “South” Summit on February 14, 2020, invited speakers from the city and the border region outlined the current situation through the lenses of topics they were asked to address. Each gave a 5-minute presentation. Following a sequence of “presentation, reaction, discussion, position,” the group developed positions on each topic, and a general perspective in a working session. These positions were used as a foundation for a public discussion between speakers, guests and stakeholders, and the San Antonio community during the afternoon session of the summit. The entire summit was free and open to the public and held at Confluence Park. A very special thank you to our collaborators and sponsors, who made this event possible: San Antonio River Foundation, UTSA Mexico Center, Chela’s Tacos, Adelita Tamales & Tortilla Factory, GoJohnnyGo Catering
Introduction
Dr. Antonio Petrov – Founder of Urban Future Lab in the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) College of Architecture, Construction and Planning; Associate Professor at UTSA; Opening remarks about “The Future of the South: Timely Meditations about the Confluence of Cultures, Regions, and Cities.” Position paper, “The Future of the South.” Project vision, timeline description, and call to action.
Meditations
Economic Development; Laredo as a Port City
Dr. Federico Schaffler – Director of the Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development at Texas A&M International University in Laredo
Urban Sociology
Dr. Nestor Rodriguez – Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin
Border Issues; Policy; Trade
María Eugenia Calderón-Porter – Assistant Vice-President for Global Initiatives and Director of the Binational Center/International Language Institute at Texas A&M International University
Entrepreneurship and the Digital Economy
Dr. Alberto Gomez – Urban Future Lab Visiting Scholar; Co-founder and COO of Cityflag; Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences (FADYCS), Director of the Media, Society, Culture and Technology Research Group, and founder of the Tamaulipas Media Lab at Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas
The Cities of Northern Mexico; Border Issues; The Culture of the Region
Edward R. Burian – Retired Professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA)
Environmental Issues
Tricia Cortez – Executive Director of the Rio Grande International Study Center
The Digital Economy in the Border Region
Jordana Barton – Senior Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, San Antonio Branch
Education
David Robinson, Jr. – Blueprint Local
Perspective from San Antonio Economic Development Foundation
Sarah Sanchez – Executive Vice President of Global Development at the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation (SAEDF)
Perspective as an Author and Key Contributor to San Antonio’s Tech Sector
Lorenzo Gomez III – Co-Founder & CEO, Geekdom Media; Book Author; Chairman, Geekdom; Chairman, 80/20 Foundation
Perspective as Director of the UTSA Mexico Center
Dr. Jerry Gonzalez – Director of UTSA Mexico Center; Principal Investigator, Mellon Humanities Pathways Program, 2019-2022; Associate Professor of History at UTSA
Collaborators
How the Mexican Cultural Institute, as the regional center for culture and art, plays a role in shaping the future.
Minister Sergio Zapata Lozano – Director of the Mexican Cultural Institute
Regional Development; Landscape; Settlements
Gabriel Díaz Montemayor – Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
Dr. Xavier Oliveras Gonzalez – Departamento de Estudios Urbanos y del Medio Ambiente, Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Campus Matamoros
Dr. Miguel Díaz Barriga – Chair and Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Richmond
Dr. Caroline Miles – Professor, Department of Literatures and Cultural Studies, College of Liberal Arts, UTRGV, Edinburg Campus
