Cities at Risk

Cities across the Asia Pacific are rapidly urbanizing and face growing pressures to becoming more sustainable. Population growth, access to housing, resilience to natural disasters, and environmental sustainability are issues that all Pacific cities share in common. Asia Society and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) are pleased to host leading experts for a conversation on how Pacific cities can become more resilient in the face of natural disasters and mounting demands on natural resources while maintaining and improving livability. Panelists will share how their cities prepare for and recover from disaster, and what they do to make them more attractive to live, work, and play in.

This event also marks the official launch of a new Asia Society/ULI report, Creating Resilient and Livable Cities, which presents practical strategies for creating tomorrow’s sustainable cities. The report takes its cue from expert dialogue at the Pacific Cities Sustainability Initiative (PCSI) 2nd Annual Forum, held in Manila, Philippines in March 2014.

Copies of Creating Resilient and Livable Cities included with admission.

Read more about the report and download a copy here. 

Program Agenda:

5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Registration

6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Discussion / Audience Q&A

7:30 – 8:00 p.m. Reception

About Our Speakers:

Rafael Lopa is the Executive Director of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) in Manila. PBSP is a leader in fostering private-public partnerships in the Philippines, helping the business sector to promote social development. Lopa also serves as President and Executive Director of the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation, and is a recognized leader in the field of development in the Philippines.

Patrick Otellini is the Chief Resiliency Officer for the City of San Francisco. A member city of the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities Challenge, San Francisco is the first to have developed the position of Chief Resiliency Officer. Otellini previously served in the administrations of San Francisco Mayors Gavin Newsom and Ed Lee as a member of the retrofitting Soft Story Task Force Team and as the Director of Earthquake Safety, respectively. Otellini has also worked in the private sector, addressing planning, building coding, and fire-safety issues.

Jeffrey Heller is Founder and President of Heller Manus Architects in San Francisco. He has been a pioneer in the field of green and sustainable architecture, leading projects in sustainable building in San Francisco, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Ulanhot, Inner Mongolia, among other places. Heller also lends his expertise to several other organizations, serving on the boards of the Bay Area Council, Asia Society, the Copenhagen-based Green Growth Leaders' Council, and the ULI Leadership Council, among others.

Andy Thompson is Associate Principal at ARUP, where he is global lead for Catastrophe Risk and Insurance. An expert in risk-based design, property insurance, and business continuity, he has supported clients post-disaster in New York, Japan, Chile, Haiti, New Zealand, Thailand, and the Philippines. Thompson frequently speaks on resiliency and is co-author of the books "Extreme Event Mitigation in Buildings" and "Peace of Mind in Earthquake Country". 

Organized in partnership with Urban Land Institute