Events

Cities and Eco-Crises

This conference brings together a diverse group of scholars- urbanists, biologists, nanotechnologists, and sustainable cities activists- to address the relation between environment and cities. A continuation of the discussion begun a year before (Cities and the New Wars - September, 2009), the conference will looks at such diverse topics as landgrabs and their consequences, forced migration to the cities and environmental refugees, climate change and systems resilience to climate variability, engineering and technology of flooding, urban services and the challenges of waste management.

10:00 am
Introduction: Bridging the Ecologies of Cities and the Biosphere
Saskia Sassen, Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology, Columbia University

10:30 am- 11:00 am
Opening Keynote: War and Its Consequences on Environments and People
Arthur H. Westing, Westing Associates in Environment, Security, & Education

11:00 am -12:30 pm
Panel 1: Cities and Eco-Disasters: What We Can Do

Cities and Floods; Living on a 'Water Machine'
Ties Rijcken, Researcher in Integrated Water Infrastructure Development, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands

Adapting to Climate Risks: Comparing Approaches
Shiv Someshwar, IRI/Earth Institute, Columbia University

Avoiding a Global Environmental Catastrophe
Richard Matthew, Director, Center for Unconventional Security Affairs, University of California, Irvine

12:30-1:30 pm
Lunch Break

1:30 - 3:00 pm
Panel 2: 'Living Technology' and the Built Environment

Living Materials for the Built Environment
Rachel Armstrong, Co-Director, AVATAR (Advanced Virtual And Technological Architectural Research) in Architecture & Synthetic Biology, The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London

Smart Cities and Climate Change: Crusade or Cynical Exercise
Greg Lindsay, Fast Company contributing writer, co-author of Aerotropolis: The Way We'll Live Next

Performative Wind Technologies and the Built Environment
P. Michael Pelken, Center of Excellence Fellow, Assistant Professor of Architecture for Design and Technology, Syracuse University School of Architecture

Rise or Fall of Megacities (Rich or Poor), in the Face of Climate Change and Natural Disasters
Klaus Jacob, Special Research Scientist, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Professor of International and Public Affairs, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

3:00-3:30 pm
Coffee Break

3:30-5:30 pm
Panel 3: Organizing for a Better Eco-Urban Relation: Disaster Preparedness, Applied Technologies, Inter-City Networks

Disaster Preparedness: Public Health and Large-Scale Catastrophic Events
Irwin Redlener, President, Children's Health Fund Director, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University

Senseable Spaces: Ubiquitous Computing in the Natural and Built Environment
Lindsey Hoshaw, SENSEable City Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Transnational Municipal Networks and Climate Change: From Global Governance to Global Politics
Noah Toly, Director of Urban Studies, Assistant Professor of Politics and International Relations, Wheaton College

Environmental Activism in the Urban Ecosystem
Dana R. Fisher, Associate Professor of Sociology, Columbia University

Coca-Cola or Drinking Water? The Growing Water Conflicts Between Industry and Community in India
Amit Srivastava, Coordinator, India Resource Center