Conference: “Collaborators and Competitors: Understanding the Connections Between Canadian, American and Mexican West Coast Ports and Gateway Regions”

February 15, 2011

The Center for International Trade and Transportation at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) presents “Collaborators and Competitors: Understanding the Connections Between Canadian, American and Mexican West Coast Ports and Gateway Regions.”

Objective: Representatives from the goods movement industry, local communities,  governmental stakeholders, and researchers will explore the common trends that influence the economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability of Canadian, U.S., and Mexican Pacific Port Gateway Regions, as well as the unique pressures that drive policy making at the national, state/provincial and local levels.

Session Topics Include:

• Implications of Trade Trends on the North American West Coast

• Cross Border Issues (Land, Air and Sea)

• Environmental Policy Making

• Technology and Innovation at U.S., Canadian, and Mexican ports

Outcome: Immediately following the conference, a core group of academic researchers from Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. will gather to review what was learned and to develop a future research agenda focusing on the unique needs of west coast gateway regions. The efforts of the Canadian Government’s North American Research Linkages (NARL) Program are led by Dr. Thomas O’Brien, Director of Research for the Center for International Trade and Transportation, at California State University, Long Beach. He is partnering with Dr. Peter Hall of the Urban Studies Program at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, and Dr. Carlos Vazquez of the Urban and Environmental Studies Program at Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Mexico.

The conference is funded in part by a grant from NARL, which is designed to facilitate North American collaboration within the research community, as well as to foster the development of permanent exchange networks in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Media Partner: Pacific Maritime Magazine

For more information: Please see the conference website at www.metrans.org/narl or contact Tom O’Brien at (562) 985-2875 or email: tobrien@csulb.edu.