Designing for Future Climate Disruption and Displacement

As climate change accelerates displacement across the globe, architects and planners are increasingly called upon to design for communities in transition. Erik Fang, FAIA, AICP will moderate this timely panel discussion, co-sponsored by AIA New York’s Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee and the Planning and Urban Design Committee, brings together Hillary Brown, FAIA, and Bonnie A. Harken, AIA, WEDG, President of Nautilus International Development Consulting, to explore how the built environment can support equitable, place-based responses to climate-driven relocation.

Drawing from Brown’s new book “Revitalize | Resettle” and Harken’s international planning work in the Amazon basin, the session will provide an overview of US and global climate migration and the upcoming 2025 UN Climate Change Conference COP30 in Brazil and examine strategies for revitalizing small-town America and adapting to ecological disruption in the Amazon. The conversation will highlight how design can promote health, safety, and welfare for displaced populations through resilient infrastructure, inclusive planning, and sustainable development.

Speakers:
Hillary Brown, FAIA, Professor Emerita of Architecture, Spitzer School of Architecture 
Bonnie Harken, AIA, WEDG, President, Nautilus International Development Consulting

Moderator:
Eric Fang, FAIA, Principal, Perkins Eastman

About the Speakers:
Hillary Brown, Professor Emerita at the City University of New York, previously directed its interdisciplinary graduate program in urban sustainability. Her recent book: Revitalize | Resettle: How Main Street USA Can Provide New Beginnings for America’s Climate Displaced examines how our population may be shifting over the coming decades and calls for strategic planning in how we resettle those dislodged by climate adversity. Brown’s two previous books, Next Generation Infrastructure (Island Press 2014) and Infrastructural Ecologies (MIT Press 2017), describe integrated approaches to regenerative, low-carbon and resilient urban system planning. As Assistant Commissioner, Brown was the founding director in 1996 of NYC’s Office of Sustainable Design, developing both its High-Performance Building and Infrastructure Guidelines. She recently served two terms as a member of the National Academies’ National Research Council’s Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment (BICE). She was a Senior Research Fellow at the CUNY Institute of Urban Systems and is Affiliated Faculty at CUNY's Advanced Science Research Center. For her leadership in sustainable buildings and infrastructure, Brown was elected to the National Academy of Construction in 2019.

Eric Fang is a Principal at Perkins Eastman and leads the firm’s Planning and Urban Design practice as well as PE Strategies, Perkins Eastman’s consulting arm. Fang has worked extensively with towns and cities throughout the U.S. and abroad in their efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change, promote community resiliency, and develop strategies for sustainable growth. His work as an architect, city planner, development consultant, public official, and teacher has given him broad perspective on the challenges of contemporary city building.

Bonnie A. Harken is President of Nautilus International Development Consulting, a multi-disciplinary firm which consults about strategies for planning and implementing successful, sustainable developments that transform cities. Founded in 2003 with a special strength in resilient urban waterfronts, Nautilus International has worked in over 25 countries. Harken is an internationally recognized expert in sustainable waterfront revitalization and downtown development, speaking widely. Nautilus previously worked with the World Water Council on the role of water resources in “green growth” for developing countries. Nautilus also worked with The Nature Conservancy on integrated river basin management (IRBM) for the Tapajós River Basin, one of the main tributaries to the Amazon. Recently in New York, Nautilus International provided services in urban design and sustainability as part of the AECOM team on the South Battery Park City Resiliency Project. Harken’s work has won numerous awards for design excellence as well as meritorious service to the profession. After Superstorm Sandy, Harken co-chaired the AIA’s Post-Sandy Initiative’s Waterfront Working Group, which was awarded their highest honor: the AIA National Honors Award for Collaborative and Professional Achievement. Harken grew up in Asia and Latin America, studied environmental design at Parsons School of Design, real estate finance at NYU, and holds a Master of Architecture from Columbia University.

If you register for a virtual ticket, you will receive an email with a Zoom link to access the program.