New York City must become a climate-resilient city, whether or not nations meet the Paris COP 21 goal of keeping global temperature increases well below 2 degrees C., and now there is rising scientific sentiment for a 1.5 degree cap if the world is to avoid irreversible and destabilizing damage. The capacity of cities to deal with uncertainty is paramount and demands high-performing urban resilience measures. As such, creating an enduringly resilient city means innovations etched in steel, bricks and mortar as well as through ‘softscape’ innovations now emerging.

Urban resilience also means changes in land use along with better and more equitable ways to protect a city’s people. Realizing these innovations requires that New York and other great cities must give high priority to advancing the emerging capacities to foster and make the most of new approaches to climate risk management.

Welcome
Nancy Anderson, The Sallan Foundation

Keynote Speakers
Hon. Dawn Zimmer, Mayor, Hoboken New Jersey

Chris Ward, AECOM; former Executive Director, Port Authority of NY and NJ; former Commissioner, NYC Department of Environmental Protection

Moderator
Michael Gerrard, Professor and Director, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School

Panelists

Joyce Rosenthal, The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Kate Orff, Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation
Nico Kienzl, Atelier Ten
Juan Camilo Osorio, NY Environmental Justice Alliance
Megan Linkin, SwissRe