The American Council on Germany, the German Center for Research and Innovation, and the University Alliance Ruhr will hold panel discussion Ullrich Sierau, Mayor of the City of Dortmund; Jamie Bemis, Mechanical Engineer and City Planner and Account Manager at Bright Power, Inc. (2017 ACG McCloy Fellow on Global Trends); Wolfram Hoefer, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; James G. Koth, Director of Parks & Recreation for the County of Bergen; and moderated by Bettina Oberhauser, Editor for the European public television channels ARTE and 3sat (2017 ACG McCloy Fellow on Global Trends).
Please RSVP by April 17. Registration is required to attend.
By 2050, more than two thirds of the world’s population is expected to live in city regions and contribute to an ever-increasing percentage share of the global GDP. While cities are often associated with higher levels of literacy and education, better access to health care and social services as well as enhanced opportunities for cultural and political participation, growing urban environs pose significant risks to economic, social and environmental sustainability. Likewise, formerly heavily industrialized regions such as the Ruhr area and parts of New Jersey face similar challenges as they stake out a new future for themselves as new technology and research hubs. Given the growing complexity of urban growth and the transformation of city regions, integrated planning approaches are needed to more equitably and inclusively set policy priorities. The success of sustainable urban development depends to a large extent on the participation of local actors. But how does top-down planning meet bottom-up planning, what forms of public participation in decision-making processes seem particularly promising? What works in New Jersey, what works in Dortmund, Germany? Join an international panel of experts and city officials who will discuss the future of sustainable urban development.