This October, the Municipal Art Society will convene its first conference devoted to New York’s livability, examining the challenges the city faces in its seemingly contradictory roles as a growing global capital and as a city of unique neighborhoods.

More than 400 civic-minded New Yorkers and leaders in the fields of urban planning and design, housing, economics, and research and development will gather to discuss whether the many diverse corners of New York can retain a small town feel while facing significant increases in population.