Healthy City, Resilient City Forum
3rd Annual PCSI Forum in Beijing, China, April 20-22, 2015. Organized by Asia Society and Urban Land Institute.
Photo Credits: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images; World Bank; ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images; Liu Jin/AFP/Getty Images
The Healthy City | Resilient City Forum, PCSI's third annual event, will explore topics at the intersection of resilience, health, and land use patterns/city planning. Held at the New World Beijing Hotel from April 20-22, 2015, the Forum brings together global leaders for three days of discussion, learning sessions, interactive site-specific workshops, and networking.
This conversation has never been more urgent. The warming of the climate is real and is expected to accelerate in decades to come, and continued warming is certain to increase the number and severity of extreme weather events, including coastal flooding, earthquakes, droughts, and unstable weather patterns. The Asia-Pacific region, with its many coastal cities, is especially vulnerable to these threats.
Climate change will also have ripple effects on the health of human populations. Pathways by which climate change affects health includes death and injuries from direct exposure to environmental disasters, alterations in food production cycles, and stresses on mental health, among other impacts. Communities are also subject to a variety of economic impacts from weather-related disasters, including the loss of housing and businesses, as well as long-term impacts to water quality, and more.
By prioritizing the well-being of people, nature, and the built environment, cities can become more sustainable, livable, resilient and healthy. With increasing threats from extreme weather and other environmental disasters, people and communities face damage, injury, and loss of life. New approaches can mitigate the growing risks presented by weather volatility and other environmental threats, while enhancing the livability and health of communities. The Healthy City |Resilient City Forum will advance understanding of these interconnections and action on what works.
The Healthy City | Resilient City Forum is co-organized through a partnership between the Asia Society and Urban Land Institute.