Healthy environments mean more than pristine parks, forests and prairies. Urban environments are important, too – after all, that’s where most of us live.

The Water Environment Federation will present two conferences, Cities of the Future 2010 and Urban River Restoration 2010, March 7-10 at the Boston Marriott Cambridge. The joint location will maximize opportunities for networking and sharing of information across disciplines.

The conferences are designed to initiate dialogue about realistic and affordable community projects. Cities of the Future 2010 will bring together diverse practitioners, researchers and policy-makers who share a vision of an improved urban landscape for future generations.

Urban River Restoration 2010 will focus on the role of revitalized urban rivers and waterfronts in the context of two major trends: an increased focus on sustainable practices to benefit the environment, and a population shift back to cities, which makes livable urban environments all the more important.

WEF expects to attract urban planners and developers, public works directors, architects, city managers, public officials, economists, political scientists, transportation engineers, urban ecologists, scientists, sociologists, landscape engineers, and others.

Both conferences are held in cooperation with the New England Water Environment Association, the Water Environment Research Foundation, the Environmental & Water Resources Institute, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, and the American Planning Association − Massachusetts Chapter.

Cities of the Future 2010 is organized jointly with the International Water Association and is also supported by the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association. Urban River Restoration 2010 is also supported by American Rivers.

Educational credits will be available for participation. For more details and registration information, visit the Conferences and Events section at www.wef.org.