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Tuesday, November 18, 2014 Mayor Caldwell's Press Office: 768-5768 (cell 489-0341)   Mayor Caldwell travels to Austin, Texas to attend National League of Cities conference November 18 – 21, 2014   Mayor Kirk Caldwell is travelling to Austin, Texas today to attend the National League of Cities 2014 Congress of Cities.  He will return to Honolulu on the afternoon of Friday, November 21.   "With rail going gangbusters and bringing Transit Oriented Development, the introduction of our Islandwide Housing Strategy and the implementation of Housing First, the arrival of Bikeshare Hawaii next year, and the push towards complete streets and becoming an Age Friendly City, these are exciting times for the City & County of Honolulu," said Mayor Caldwell.  "I look forward to meeting with leaders of cities who have made these initiatives happen and take that knowledge back home to O'ahu."   While in Austin, Mayor Caldwell will participate in the fall retreat of the Urban Land Institute Daniel Rose Center for Public Leadership Fellowship.  Over the last year, the fellowship has assisted the city with plans for creating a vibrant culture and arts district anchored by the revitalization of the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.  This exchange has provided world-class technical assistance at no cost, and the city has made great progress engaging community partners on a vision for the site, strengthening neighborhood connections like the King Street Cycle Track, and improving Thomas Square Park.   Managing Director Ember Shinn is also out-of-state, therefore, Budget and Fiscal Services Director Nelson Koyanagi is now Acting Mayor in accordance with the City Charter, until Mayor Caldwell's return.    National League of Cities   The National League of Cities (NLC) has been dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities since 1924.  The NLC is a resource to and advocate for more than 19,000 municipalities in the United States.  For more information on the National League of Cities, please visit: www.nlc.org.   Congress of Cities   The NLC's annual convention, the Congress of Cities, is the nation's largest educational event for city officials.  This year's theme, The Future of Cities, will showcase the innovative ways cities are driving change today, and help prepare participants for their communities' future.  For more information on the 2014 Congress of Cities, please visit:  www.nlccongressofcities.org.   -END-