World Habitat Day Conference: Post-Pandemic Cities

(Prof. Sachs’ presentation begins at approximately 1:15:00.)

Post-Pandemic Cities: Planning for the Next 2.5 Billion Residents

The projected increase of 2.5 billion people moving to cities over the next 30 years with the advent of climate change and the new threat of pandemics constitutes an unprecedented challenge facing the world today.

The transition in a world of finite resources calls for the re-thinking of many of the premises which have guided the development of human existence. The survival of Homo Sapiens is dependent on controlling global warming, infectious disease, making urbanization sustainable, housing affordable and accessible and working toward an equitable us of the world's resources for all. The pandemic of 2019 presents an opportunity to chart a new future.

The conference is organized by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization (CSU) in collaboration with the American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter.

Programme: OPENING SESSION

Moderator: Mr. Chris Williams, Ph.D., Director, UN-Habitat, New York Office

Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations (video address)

Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, United Nations Under-Secretary-General & Executive Director, UN-Habitat

H.E. Mr. Michal Mlynár, Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the United Nations

H.E. Ms. Amal Mudallali, Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations

Ms. Susan Mwangi, Chargée d’affairs, a.i., Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations

Ms. Jane Frederick, FAIA, President, American Institute of Architects, Washington, DC

Ms. Kim Yao, FAIA, President, American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter

Mr. Lance Jay Brown, FAIA, President, Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization (CSU)

SESSION 2: KEYNOTE ADDRESSES

Moderator: Ms. Mary Stack, Executive Director of Cambridge Forum, Cambridge, MA

Mr. Jeffrey Sachs, Ph.D., Director, Center for Sustainable Development, Earth Institute, Columbia University

Mr. Peter Calthorpe, Architect, urbanist and author, San Francisco, CA

SESSION 3: POST-PANDEMIC PERSPECTIVES

Moderator: Ms. Mary Stack, Executive Director of Cambridge Forum, Cambridge, MA

Dr. Kamran Khan, Founder & CEO, BlueDot, Toronto, Canada

Ms. Karen Harris, Managing Director, Macro Trends Group, Bain & Company, New York, NY

Mr. Sam Lubell, Journalist & Author