UA Ruhr New York partners for the Climate Bridge Conference at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey (October 14-15)

FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 05, 2021 AT 08:00 A.M. EST – Long Do Hoang

UA Ruhr supports the two-day hybrid conference at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, on October 14–15, 2021. The Climate Bridge Conference is a collaboration between the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany New York, The Rutgers Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability and the Rutgers Climate Institute.

Climate change is creating new challenges for spatial and environmental planning on both sides of the Atlantic. While seeking to moderate the impacts of climate change from rising temperatures, extreme precipitation and sea level rise, the context of planning and policy must also address growing awareness of social equity and environmental justice. New Jersey's underserved communities are similarly exposed to environmental challenges as their counterparts in the German Ruhr Region, settlement patterns and brownfield issues also show similarities. This has become evident through 15 years of successful collaboration, including summer programs, a landscape Architecture design studio, internships for Rutgers students and publications.

The conference Climate Bridge will foster a collaborative dialogue among planners, designers, scholars, public administrators, and decision makers from both sides of the Atlantic. Scholars from different universities in Germany and the United States will contribute papers and discussion that highlight interdisciplinary approaches to addressing the environmental, economic, political, and social dimensions of planning considering climate change.

Highlights from the conference agenda: Link

David Gill, Consul General, German Consulate General

Sessions:

October 14^th at 9.00am Opening Remarks

Wolfram von Heynitz, Deputy Counsel, German Consulate General New York

Sessions:

October 15^th at 3.15pm Public Panel Discussion on Political Vision

Thorsten Wiechmann, Professor and Dean, TU Dortmund Department of Spatial Planning and Planning Theory

Sessions:

October 15^th at 9.00am The Future, Changing Demographics

October 15^th at 10.30am Panel Discussion 7: Vision for People

Susanne Moebus, Essen University, Public Health and

Sebastian Schlecht, Strategic Management for the Environment, Traffic and Sports Department, European Green Capital, City of Essen

Sessions:

October 14^th at 1.00pm Panel Discussion 1: People

Uli Paetzel, CEO, Emschergenossenschaft

Sessions:

October 14^th at 3.00pm Panel Discussion 4: Rain

October 15^th at 3.15pm Public Panel Discussion on Political Vision

Wolfram Höfer, Associate Professor and Director, Rutgers, Center for Urban Environmental and Sustainability

Sessions:

October 14^th at 9.50am The Ruhr Region and New Jersey

October 15^th at 10.30am Panel Discussion 9: Vision for Policy

More details about the event can be found here.