The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) in collaboration with the AIANY Design for Risk & Reconstruction Committee (DfRR), presents a panel discussion that will highlight expert and practitioner insights on how to incorporate observations and lessons learned from various solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic into a series of approaches to address climate change in the New York City metropolitan area. The program will look specifically to engage the building, design, nonprofit, and public sectors for a critical discussion at this historic inflection point for urban design, planning, and advocacy.

On March 23, 2020, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) ratified the Resolution for Urgent and Sustained Climate Action and has adopted the Framework for Design Excellence. AIA is now creating a plan for the organization that will shift a significant portion of its work to climate action. It is within this context that we will present this event.

The pandemic provides a look at how we might transform our metropolitan centers via wholescale changes in planning, preparedness, and the built environment. Given the swift mobilization of responses at various state, city, and community levels, we now understand that we have the ability to mobilize similarly in response to the climate crisis. Such mobilizations are built on behavior changes that depend on effective advocacy and education.

Organized by
AIANY Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee and The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)