Side event of the scientific conference, labeled COP21

Urban Transitions in the face of Climate Change

The ecological transition of society plays out primarily in cities and their surrounding metropolitain areas. Climate change leads to increased risk of water shortage, flooding, heat waves, air pollution, among other risks, to which urban communities must respond with strategies that take into account the biodiversity crisis and socio-economic dynamics. Committed to environmental policies to decrease energy and materials consumption, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to restore biodiversity, urban communities are becoming key actors in the mitigation of climate change and global changes more generally.

In her introductory comments, Cynthia Rosenzweig, Professor at Columbia University, New York, and cochair of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN), will explain the central role of cities in fighting climate change. She will present how UCCRN facilitates interactions between city stakeholders and scientists, and how the first UCCRN Regional Hub in Paris will strengthen an European network of scholars and city stakeholders to implement innovative and effective solutions for responding to climate change.

A panel discussion will address ways of developing the architecture and urbanism of ecological transition. Representatives of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN), the City of Paris, the International Workshop of Greater Paris, the Paris Climate Agency, the Caisse des dépôts et consignations, the Paris Research Consortium Climate-Environment-Society, the CNRS, and the Pierre and Marie Curie University will present their views, based on their field experiences. The focus will be on links between research and action.

PROGRAMME

WELCOME

• Pierre MANSAT, President de l’Atelier international du Grand Paris
• Marie-Christine LEMARDELEY, Higher Education and Student Life, Paris City Hall
• Sylvie JOUSSAUME, Paris Research Consortium Climate-Environment-Society - CNRS Representative

INTRODUCTIVE CONFERENCE

• Cynthia ROSENZWEIG, Professor, Columbia University, New York/NASA GISS- Co-chair of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN)

The conference will be followed by a conversation with UCCRN members:

• Patricia ROMERO-LANKAO, Sociologist, National Centre for Atmospheric Research, Boulder University
• Timon McPHEARSON, Assistant Professor of Urban Ecology, The New School’s Tishman Environment and Design Center, New York
• Jeffrey RAVEN, Architect, Director, Graduate Program in Urban and Regional Design, New York Institute of Technology

ROUND TABLE : URBAN TRANSITIONS IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

• Mireille FERRI, Executive Director, Atelier international du Grand Paris
• Paul INDELICATO, Vice-president for Research and Innovation, Pierre et Marie Curie University (UPMC)
• Yann FRANÇOISE, Manager of the CLimat-EnergieS division, Paris City Hall
• Anne GED, Director, Paris Climate Agency (APC)
• Paola VIGANÓ, Architect and city planner, Studio_015
• Benoît Leguet, Director for Research, CDC Climate

More information: http://www.commonfuture-paris2015.org