1. Bridging the Gap
The AIA’s Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team (RUDAT) helps
communities thrive in the face of economic downturns, unfocused suburban
growth, environmental concerns, gridlock, and other snarls. The team is
in Corpus Christi, Texas, (Aug. 14–18) this time to assess the iconic
Harbor Bridge’s realignment, which will improve traffic interchanges in
the area and also offer new opportunities to create public space,
waterfront access, and programming. Learn more about past AIA RUDATs at aia.org/liv_rudat.
2. Space Is the Place
Title-creep aside, the report titled “Architecture for Sustained Climate
Monitoring from Space,” issued by the Global Climate Observing System
and the World Meteorological Organization, really is about
architecture—in that systematic, collaborative design sort of way. It’s
the 30,000-foot view (literally) of community resilience that outlines
the predictive power of observation, which informs how communities can
prepare for the worst while not compromising what makes them livable.
The report and other topics will be the subject of the 2014 Climate
Symposium in Darmstadt, Germany (Oct. 13–17). Learn more at theclimatesymposium2014.com.
3. Peak Resilience
Two summits at the 2014 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in
New Orleans (Oct. 22–24) will bring issues centered on community
resilience and public health into sharper focus: Affordable Homes and
Sustainable Communities, and Materials and Human Health. Their joint
goal? Expediting economic, social, and ecological health in design and
in the products that we all use. Learn more at greenbuildexpo.com.
4. Protecting the Polity
The third annual UNITAR-Yale Conference on Environmental Governance and
Democracy, at Yale University (Sept. 5–7), centers on human rights and
ecology, and draws together policy and science experts for what
organizers are calling “the future climate change regime.” Sponsored by
the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, the event’s
proceedings will contribute to the forthcoming report of the U.N.
Independent Expert on human rights and the environment, available in
2015. Learn more at unitar.org.
5. WHO Says?
The World Health Organization (WHO), which directs and coordinates
health issues within the United Nations, has long advocated for
community resilience as a platform to improve public health. To that
end, its Conference on Health and Climate (Aug. 27–29) in Geneva will
focus on combating climate change by identifying health benefits
associated with reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more at who.int.
