Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. The changes required in professional practice, and the interesting issues faced by urban leaders, are unparalleled.  Though cities are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, they are also uniquely positioned to take leadership in both mitigation and adaptation. Our changing climate will transform how planning practitioners relate to their work.

This two-day course is intended to help planners who are developing and managing programs with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing the impacts of climate change. The role of green development in the economy recovery will be highlighted. In addition to presentations that offer up-to-date information and analysis, the course includes many opportunities for the discussion and hands-on exercises.  Guest speakers with experience in developing and leading climate change mitigation and adaptation programs will make presentation in the course.  A binder of useful background materials will also be made available to course participants.

Detailed Draft Agenda:

Day 1

Day 2

Cities around the world are facing the same challenges; how to remain competitive in a rapidly changing economic environment, how to provide the best quality of life for their citizens and how to respond to climate change. The best cities have developed flexible and responsive city building strategies through transformational regeneration of their downtowns and waterfronts, radical reworking of deprived areas, bold mobility strategies, integrated ecological initiatives and the promotion of cultural renaissance.

The course will be structured around practical experience in case studies drawn from cities which have demonstrated innovation and creativity in these many dimensions of city building. Cities to be considered will include: Dublin, Liverpool, London, Malmo, Manchester, New York, Paris, Singapore, Stockholm, and smaller centres such Youngstown , Ohio, and Sheffield and Burnley UK.

This one-day course is designed for senior professionals in the field of planning and engineering who wish to compete successfully against the world’s brightest and best consultants on the international stage. It will be taught by two world-renowned leaders of two international planning consulting firms.

This course will assist firms and individuals assess their competitive advantage, choose markets on which to focus, develop entry strategies, promote their expertise and win international contracts.

The workshop will provide participants with a broad overview of sustainability issues as they related to planning and development. It will then focus on the current state of the industry in terms of existing certifications and programs developed to help create and celebrate sustainable urban planning. The second day will focus on practical information to consider in developing a sustainability plan, first with a discussion of lessons learned from the various presenters and then with an overview of necessary (next) steps for successful implementation.

Topics to be covered include: climate change, waste, transportation, material (local and sustainable), food, water natural habitat/wildlife, culture/heritage, equity and health/happiness. Also to be explained are both the LEED for Neighborhood Developments and One Planet Living certifications for developments of this scale and scope. Presentations of local and international case studies will be done to illustrate principles, solutions and certifications.

The session will inform attendees about how climate change scenario information can be displayed, downloaded, validated and interpreted using the tools of the CCCSN. Instructional material will be provided at the session.

The two-day session includes hands-on training on: