Conference Presentations

2019 presents a changing landscape as concerns mount over environmental decline, increasing atmospheric carbon, and competition for resources. Across field after field, research demonstrates the impact of the built environment on climate change and the essential role retooling the built environment must play in addressing it. Globally, a massive reallocation of resources has begun as nations commit to addressing climate change and the social and economic equity challenges confronting our increasingly crowded planet.

To achieve Paris Agreement targets and advance the New Urban Agenda adopted at Habitat III, architects, planners, and owners must fundamentally transform how buildings are designed, constructed, and operated. Creative and courageous people are forging new pathways full of promise and hope.

Institutions of higher learning have always been laboratories for testing new approaches at multiple scales—building, campus, and institutional. This keynote will articulate the compelling 21st century challenges and opportunities for the design and planning fields in higher education.