Advocating Resilience through Environmental and Social Solutions
On November 5-6, 2018 in Houston, the Page Foundation in partnership with 100 Resilient Cities will host AdRESS – Connecting the Conversations.
More than 3,200 dead. Many more injured. $278 billion dollars in damage. These grim statistics reflect the toll of natural disasters in the United States in 2017 alone. While we have gotten better at hardening our infrastructure against climate events, little has been done to address the social and economic challenges communities face in the aftermath. The Page Foundation is hosting AdRESS, Advocating Resilience through Environmental and Social Solutions, in Houston Nov. 5-6 to connect conversations about how to help communities respond to and recover from natural disasters faster.
This one-and-a-half day thought leadership event will be facilitated by BuildingGreen President Nadav Malin, the building industry’s acknowledged go-to resource for thoughtful perspective on the materials and design solutions that define sustainable building practice. He and fellow moderators will leverage presentations to guide conversations among corporate, non-profit, academic, government, and A/E stakeholders to the end goal of developing new ideas to enhance preparedness and social and economic resilience. City of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who led the city's remarkable recovery from Hurricane Harvey, will provide welcoming remarks.
The first keynote speaker is Steve Wymer, Nextdoor Vice President of Global Policy. This neighborhood-based social media communication tool has proven itself to be a gamechanger for communities during times of crisis because it is based on proximity rather than personal connections. On a daily basis, Nextdoor serves as a community resource for information sharing and engaging, which positions it as a trusted resource. With 180,000 neighborhoods in its US-based network, Nextdoor is reaching more than 87 percent of neighborhoods in the country and is expanding internationally.
The second keynote speaker is Otis Rolley, Managing Director, North America, for 100 Resilient Cities. This organization was pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation and is dedicated to helping cities around the world become more resilient to the physical, social and economic challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century. It supports the adoption and incorporation of a view of resilience that includes not just the shocks – earthquakes, fires, floods, etc – but also the stresses that weaken the fabric of a city on a day to day or cyclical basis.
AdRESS participants will discuss wide-ranging issues including food security, water and energy reliability, access to critical services, community mobility, and more. Moderated sessions will include subject matter experts whose experiences will serve as catalysts for broader conversations. Participants also will connect with other thought leaders and learn new perspectives on recovery and resilience they can take back to their own communities.
Partners include 100 Resilient Cities, Greater Houston Partnership, American Society of Adaptation Professionals, BuildingGreen, Health Care Without Harm, Meridian Institute, Practice Greenhealth, Resilient Design Institute and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The event is being sponsored by Autocase and Centerpoint Energy.
The event will be held at the historic Union Station at Minute Maid Park Conference Center in downtown Houston. Hotel accommodations can be booked at the Hyatt Regency Downtown, and a limited number of rooms with conference rates are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
As the newest member of 100 Resilient Cities network, Houston is part of the global effort to enhance urban resilience around the world. It is also a major metropolis confronting the necessity of building its resilience network as it continues to progress in the recovery from Hurricane Harvey. Additionally, the city has the hospitality infrastructure to host events like AdRESS and with two airports, participants can benefit from direct flights to nearly any US city.
About Page Foundation
For more than a decade, the Page Southerland Page Foundation has supported scholarship and research dedicated to architecture, building science and technology, historic preservation, landscape architecture, and urban design. Through a multi-disciplinary approach, we promote the role of design in solving complex social and environmental problems through our partnerships with scholars, professionals, institutions, and policymakers. Page Foundation is a 501(c) (3) charitable organization.