Jennifer Wolch, "Lively Cities"

 

Location: Kane Hall 120, University of Washington

Monday, March 1, 2010 @ 6:30 PM

About BE Lectures:

All lectures are free and open to the public: however, space is limited. We request that your register in advance online or call 1-800-AUW-ALUM.

Lecture Description:

Cities can be life-sustaining environments, promoting human and ecological health, trans-species knowledge and interaction, active recreation and play. But cities are also predicated on death, in the form of carbon-based energy that we use for building, transport, and consumption, and the slaughter of animals whose bodies become the food that we eat. How can environmental design move beyond existing practices of good city form rooted in green building, smart growth, and landscape urbanism, in order to define a more inclusive model for a “post-green” world? Using examples from current research on active living, remnant urban space, urban food systems, and ecological planning, Wolch shows how a new agenda can link humans, animals and nature together to create a livelier urban world.

About Jennifer Wolch:

Jennifer Wolch is Dean of the College of Environmental Design and William W. Wurster Professor of City & Regional Planning at University of California, Berkeley. Her past past work focused on urban homelessness and the delivery of affordable housing and human services for poor people. She has also studied urban sprawl and alternative approaches to city-building such as smart growth and new urbanism. Her most recent work analyzes connections between city form, physical activity, and public health, and develops strategies to improve access to urban parks and recreational resources. The founding director of the University of Southern California’s Center for Sustainable Cities, Wolch worked to promote sustainable metropolitan development through research, education, and policy outreach programs. She also headed the Green Vision Plan for 21st Century Southern California, a planning guide for habitat conservation, watershed health, and recreational open space.

Wolch has authored or co-authored over 100 academic journal articles and book chapters. She was also a recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Study Center, and other honors.