PROVIDENCE – March 23, 2012 – Judith E. Innes, a professor emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley, will address ways that collaboration between city officials, planners, community groups and institutions can spur urban renewal and advancement during the sixth annual Dr. Marcia Marker Feld Lecture for Social Justice and the City at the University of Rhode Island’s Feinstein Campus in Providence.

The speech, titled “Collaborative Rationality and Justice in the Network City,” will be held Thursday, March 29, at 7 p.m. at 80 Washington St. It will focus on collaborative relationships within a city and how the networks that are created serve to solve problems.

Innes co-authored the recently released book, Planning with Complexity: An Introduction to Collaborative Rationality for Public Policy.

She has done research on the processes of planning and decision-making across a wide range of topics, including land use and environmental policy, water management, growth management, transportation, human rights, environmental justice and social policy.

She recently has focused on collaborative policy-making and action at the state and regional levels. She maintains a continuing interest in how to improve the use of information in planning and public policy.

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras will present opening remarks. URI Vice Provost for Urban Programs John H. McCray Jr. and Marcia Marker Feld, professor emeritus at the Center for Urban Studies and Research, will introduce Innes.

Scott Wolf, executive director of Grow Smart Rhode Island, and Victor Capellan, deputy superintendent for transformation in the Central Falls School District, will both respond to Innes’ remarks and the three will then answer questions from the audience.

The event is free and open to the public. To RSVP or for more information, call Zena Fernandes at (401) 527-3427.