Join AIA Philadelphia, Green Building United, Preservation Alliance, and ULI Philadelphia for the second annual Philadelphia Urban Resilience Forum. This year’s forum will explore strategies and case studies for property owners and communities to mitigate climate hazards such as extreme heat and flooding. Join us for a series of conversations exploring urban resilience across multiple scales, from the regional scale to the neighborhood scale and finally, to the property scale.

Featured keynote speakers include Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz, Senior Consultant, AKRF and Abby Sullivan, Chief Resilience Officer, City of Philadelphia Office of Sustainability.

The Urban Resilience Forum will be a half-day program with three sessions featuring guest speakers presenting case studies, moderated conversations, and audience Q&A. The program will include lunch and networking breaks. 

Credits: 3 AIA LU (HSW) approved | 3 AICP Credits approved | 3 LA CES PDH approved

AGENDA 

12:30 PM | Doors Open, Networking, Lunch  

1:00 PM | Welcome & Opening Remarks

1:10 PM | Keynote Presentation & Q&A: Glenn Schwartz, Senior Consultant, AKRF
Glenn will set the stage for an engaging and informative Urban Resilience Forum by drawing on his five decades of meteorological experience to put the climate changes we’re witnessing into context, including severe and extreme flooding and heat. He will share the latest data and infographics to contextualize our present conditions, explain attribution science, and address new climate hazards we’re only now beginning to understand.

1:35 PM | Panel 1: Future-Proofing our Region: Strategies for Resilience in the Greater Philadelphia Area
Moderator: Glenn Schwartz, Senior Consultant, AKRF
Lindsay Brugger, AIA, CPHC, Vice President, Urban Resilience, Urban Land Institute
Gerald Joseph McAdams Kauffman, Jr., Ph.D., Director and Associate Professor, University of Delaware - Water Resources Center
Chris Linn, AICP, Manager, Office of Climate and Environment, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

10 min break

2:45 PM | Keynote Presentation & Q&A: Abby Sullivan, Chief Resilience Officer, City of Philadelphia Office of Sustainability
Abby Sullivan, Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Philadelphia will present an overview of the city’s resilience initiatives and how the Office of Sustainability is working with communities and City staff to prepare and mitigate the effects of climate change. Abby will share an overview of several projects that span different scales, from the neighborhood-level to citywide policies and programs. She will highlight the process to update Philadelphia’s Climate Resilience Plan, which includes updated climate projections and vulnerability assessments and the launch of an equitable, inclusive public engagement process.

3:10 PM | Panel 2: Working Collaboratively for Resilient Communities
Moderator: Abby Sullivan, Chief Resilience Officer, City of Philadelphia
Michelle Feldman, Executive Director, East Falls Development Corporation
Caleb Stratton, PP, AICP, CFM, Chief Resilience Officer, City of Hoboken
Karen Thompson, AICP, Director of Planning, Policy, & Engagement, Delaware River Waterfront Corporation
Erica Smith Fichman, City Forester, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

10 min break  

4:20 PM | Panel 3: Climate Prepared Institutional and Commercial Properties: Protecting from Flooding and Extreme Heat
Moderator: David McHenry, FAIA, Principal, Erdy McHenry Architecture
Claire Donato, President, Mark B. Thompson Associates, PC - Featured Project: Fairmount Water Works
Ron Pluto, Vice President – Engineering, Brandywine Realty Trust - Featured Project: 3151 Market Street

5:20 PM | Closing Remarks 

5:30 - 6:00 PM | Networking & Reception

Credits: 3 AIA LUs (HSW) | 3 LA CES PDHs | 3 AICP

Registration Information
If you are an AIA Member please use discount code Forum2024 at check-out. All registrations will be processed via ULI Philadelphia's website.

Sponsorship Opportunities
To increase the visibility of your firm and support the delivery of this program, please consider sponsorship. Click here to learn more about sponsorship opportunities for this event.

THANK YOU SPONSORS