Conference
UCCRN: International Symposium
May 10-11, 2007
Columbia University, new York City
Agenda
(available powerpoint presentations are noted)
Thursday, May 10, 2007
8:00-9:00 am Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00-10:00 am Welcome and Introductions
Albert Bressand, Director, CEMTPP, Columbia University (New York)
Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, The Earth Institute at Columbia University (New York)
Stephen Hammer, Columbia University (New York)
William Solecki, CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities (New York)
Cynthia Rosenzweig, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (New York)
10:00-10:30 am Coffee Break and Poster Session
10:30-12:00 pm Climate Risk Management
This session will examine urban climate change adaptation and risk management issues, addressing the following questions: What are the key climate risks for cities and how are cities responding? What are the roles of adaptation and mitigation? How can researchers effectively communicate about these issues with urban policy-makers?
Roberto Sanchez, University of California, Santa Cruz (Mexico City) [pdf]
Saleemul Huq, International Institute for Environment and Development (Dhaka)
William Solecki, CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities (New York) [pdf]
12:00-12:30 pm Highlights of Urban Climate Change Research Programs
This session will describe various programs relevant to urban climate change organized by three major universities in New York.
Reginald Blake, City College of Technology, CUNY (New York) [pdf]
Elliott Sclar, Center for Sustainable Urban Development, The Earth Institute at Columbia University (New York)
Elke Weber, Center for Research on Environmental Decisions, Columbia University (New York) [pdf]
Rae Zimmerman, Institute for Civil Infrastructure Systems, Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University (New York)
12:30-2:15 pm Networking Lunch
2:15-4:15 pm Climate Risk Mitigation – The Local Energy-Climate Nexus
Cities are developing local energy strategies for many different reasons (e.g. global climate change, local air quality emissions, local energy security and economic considerations). This panel will look at the energy policies of three very diverse cities, examining the primary factors driving these policy initiatives. Is climate change a primary or secondary consideration? How can researchers be more effective at informing urban policy-makers about these issues?
Stephen Hammer, CEMTPP, Columbia University (New York) [pdf]
Zhou Fengqi, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (Shanghai) [pdf]
Cynthia Ghorra-Gobin, National Council of Scientific Research (Paris) [pdf]
4:15-7:30 pm Tour: Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project and “The Octagon” Green Building
Reception: Verdant Power Offices, Roosevelt Island
Friday, May 11, 2007
8:30-9:00 am Continental Breakfast
9:00-10:30 am Concurrent Panels
The Critical Role of Modeling in Urban Energy and Climate Policymaking
This session will elaborate on the techniques researchers use to analyze local energy flows and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions. The challenges of modeling will be discussed, along with case studies on how cities are using different techniques to help develop or assess local energy and climate change policy options.
Niels Schulz, Energy Futures Lab, Imperial College (London) [pdf]
Charlie Heaps, Stockholm Environmental Institute (Boston)
Ralph Torrie, ICF Consulting (Toronto)
William Horak, Brookhaven National Laboratory (New York)
Infrastructure Risks in Coastal Cities
This session will concentrate on the risks facing urban infrastructure (e.g., water and energy supply, sewerage and water treatment, highways and subways) as a result of climate change with a focus on adaptations and their connections to GHG mitigation potential. Experiences from different cities will be highlighted.
Klaus Jacob, Columbia University (New York) Overview [pdf] Presentation [pdf]
Richenda Connell, Acclimatize, Inc. (London) [pdf]
Claudia Natenzon, Universidad de Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires)
Virginia Burkett, U.S. Geological Survey (New Orleans)
10:30-11:00 am Coffee Break and Poster Session
11:00-12:30 pm Concurrent panels
Transportation Systems/Land-Use Planning
This session will focus on the dynamics of change in several major world cities, with respect to spatial development patterns and transportation behavior, and the implications of these for transport-related energy use and GHG emissions reduction strategies.
Todd Goldman, University Transportation Research Center, City University of New York (New York)
Walter Hook, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (Sao Paulo)
Sumeeta Srinivasan, Harvard University (Delhi) [pdf]
P. Christopher Zegras, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Santiago)
Shomik Mehndiratta, World Bank (Tianjin)
Green Communities, Urban Heat Islands, and Health
This session will examine the interactions between building construction and community design, urban heat island, and quality of life/health. Specific focus will be on the role of energy demand reduction, public policy, and engineering strategies.
Richard Plunz, Urban Design Lab, Columbia University (New York) [pdf]
Toshiaki Ichinose, Chiba University (Tokyo) [pdf]
Kristie Ebi, ESS, LLC (Washington DC) [pdf]
Marco Schmidt, Technical University Berlin [pdf]
12:30-2:00 pm Lunch and Keynote Address:
Jeffrey Kay, Director, Mayor’s Office of Operations, City of New York
Mr. Kay will present PLANYC, Mayor Bloomberg’s new long-term growth and sustainability initiative released on Earth Day 2007. Over the last 12 months, Mr. Kay’s team has led the effort to develop PLANYC, and he will highlight the critical role that scientific, economic, policy and planning research played in developing the content of the plan.
2:00-3:15 pm Integrating Climate and Energy Science into Urban Policymaking
This session will focus on how to bridge the gap between science and policy, providing examples of successful climate and energy policy implementation in urban areas and lessons learned from these experiences.
Ester Fuchs, Columbia University (New York)
Eva Ligeti, Clean Air Partnership (Toronto) [pdf]
Patricia Romero-Lankao, National Center for Atmospheric Research (Mexico City) [pdf]
Michelle Wyman, ICLEI USA (Oakland)
3:15-3:45 pm Coffee Break and Poster Session
3:45-4:30 pm Launch of the Urban Climate Change Research Network