Sustainable Global Urbanization

Penn IUR and Perry World House hosted a symposium on strategies for sustainable urbanization and development. The event included a keynote address by Jeffrey Sachs, Director, The Earth Institute, Columbia University and Director, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, who spoke about the challenges of sustainable development, the need for systemic change, and collective action around environmentally-friendly policy. In addition, a panel featuring several leading thinkers examined the challenges of providing affordable housing in an urbanizing world, the challenges of rapid urbanization, and how to grow a healthy city through sustainable development policy and effective real estate regulation.

Panelists included: Eugenie Birch, Co-Director, Penn IUR; Lawrence C. Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research and Education Professor, Department of City & Regional Planning, Penn Design; Chair, UN-HABITAT’s World Urban Campaign (WUC); Robert Buckley, Senior Fellow, Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy, The New School, and author of “The Housing Challenge: Avoiding the Ozymandias Syndrome”; Maruxa Cardama, Executive Coordinator and Founder, Communitas Coalition for  Sustainable Cities and Regions in the New UN Development Agenda; Marja Hoek-Smit, Adjunct Professor of Real Estate, Director and Founder, International Housing Finance Program, Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center, The Wharton School; and Stephen Malpezzi, Professor, Real Estate & Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Introduction by William W. Burke-White, Richard Perry Professor, Penn Law; Inaugural Director, Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania and panel moderated by Susan Wachter, Co-Director, Penn IUR; Sussman Professor, Professor of Real Estate and Finance, The Wharton School. 

Sustainable Global Urbanization