Archive​

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Volume 1: Transformation at the Intersection of Equity, Climate Change and Health

 

Session Overview

Session 1

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Slum Upgrading and the City: Policies, Design and Transformation 

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9:00 - 10:30 EST

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Slum Upgrading and the Right to the City: Policies, Design and Transformation will be the first of a three panels series revolving around the urgent need and impact of design across disciplines, scales, and geographies. This session would look at slum upgrading and what policy makers, planners and designers should be mindful of and how to work with communities to tackle the inequities in our cities which were laid bare by COVID-19. This last crisis add up to the increasing frequency and severity of disasters produced by climate change, and the systemic racial, religious and economic discrimination that plagues cities.

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  • Event Curator: Sameh Wahba, Global Director for the World Bank’s Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice

  • Event Moderator: Francisco Brown, Research Affiliate at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.


Speakers Include:
 

  • Sheela Patel, Director of the Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC), Chairperson, Slum/Shack Dweller International (SDI), based in Mumbai, India. 

  • Jorge Mario Jauregui (Argentina/Rio de Janeiro), Architect and Urban Planner “The Favela-Bairro Program,” based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Bio

  • Inês Magalhães, Former National Housing Secretary and Minister of Cities, Senior Housing Expert, Based in Sao Paulo, Brazil 

  • Jennifer Musisi, Former Executive Director of Kampala City, City Leader in Residence, Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, based in Cambridge, MA 

  • Anacláudia Rossbach, Regional Manager for the Latin America and Caribbean Region, Cities Alliance, based in Mexico City.

  • Sameh Wahba, Global Director for the World Bank’s Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice based in Washington D.C.

Session 2

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Regenerative Design for Radical Sustainability

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10:40 - 12:10 EST

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After two decades of global initiatives and efforts to promote Green building strategies, the design and construction industry is still largely responsible for resource depletion and environmental degradation worldwide. The Regenerative Design for Radical Sustainability panel explores alternative design strategies that enhance and regenerate our natural capital. Thought leaders and practitioners will share ideas and practical insights, promoting the design of environments that can coexist harmoniously with the vast richness and beauty of our planet. Speakers will inspire design leaders to take action in their practices and communities towards alternative design processes that can help reverse environmental damage. 

 

  • Event Curator: Jaya Kader, Founding Principal of KZ architecture, born in Costa Rica and based in, Miami. Sustainability advocate. 

  • Event Moderator: Aditi Agarwal, Research Associate, Harvard Graduate School of Design. Building Scientist and Researcher.

 

Speakers Include:

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  • Edward Müller, Founder of University for International Cooperation, based in Costa Rica (Environmentalist, regenerative design advocate).

  • Susan Jones, Founder of AtelierJones, based in Seattle (Architect, leader in alternative sustainable practices).

  • Hitesh Mehta, An eco-landscape architect, eco-architect, and environmental planner. Founder of HM Design, born in Nairobi and based in Ft Lauderdale (Leader and pioneer in sustainable tourism design).

  • Ivan Shumkov, Founder of Build Academy and Principal of ISA – Ivan Shumkov Architects , based in New York.

  • Maren Costa, Founding member, Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, based in Seattle (Advocate for the Environment, Founding Member and Leader for Amazon employees for Climate Justice).

  • Alnoor Ladha, Founder of Brave Earth, based in Costa Rica (activist, alternative community building).

Session 3

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Design Equity: The Revolution Will Be Designed

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12:20 - 1:50 EST

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There has been continual philosophization about whether design can alleviate civilization’s collective offenses against humanity and the environment. Simply, Yes, it can. The question is, How do we do it equitably? To answer, we must confront the impediments to non-discriminatory ways of living worldwide and interrogate how design can be utilized to realize universal justice in the 21st century. 

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  • Event Curator: Courtney D. Sharpe, former Director of Cultural Planning for the City of Boston, current MBA Candidate at MIT Sloan School of Management

  • Event Moderator: Naksha Satish, GSD MAUD 2022, Architect and Urban Practitioner 

 

Speakers Include:

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Volume 2: Design Impact Vol. 2: Straight-Up Talk: Homelessness - Ethics / Policy / Action

 

Event Overview

Design Impact Vol. 2: Straight-Up Talk: Homelessness - Ethics / Policy / Action, sponsored by the Harvard Graduate School of Design Alumni Council, will be a direct, real-talk dialogue on homelessness in the United States that explores the myriad causes of rising homelessness and innovative solutions to eradicate it. It will consist of 3 distinct panels followed by a summary dialogue. The panels will be prefaced by keynote remarks from Binyamin Appelbaum, lead writer on business and economics for the Editorial Board of The New York Times. Download event resources here.

Session 1

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Ethics: Is Housing a (Universal) Human Right? 

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The first panel, “Ethics: Is Housing a (Universal) Human Right?” will probe the cultural, historical, and socio-political causes of homelessness in the United States, as well as the moral and ethical question of who bears ultimate responsibility for providing housing in this country. ​

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Speakers Include:
 

  • Binyamin Appelbaum, Lead Writer on business and economics for the Editorial Board of The New York Times, based in Washington, D.C.

  • Richard Sennett, Chair, United Nations Habitat Urban Initiatives Group, based in London, U.K.

  • Leilani Farha,  Former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing, Global Director of The Shift, based in Toronto, ON

  • Michael Lehrer, Founding Partner, Lehrer Architects, based in Los Angeles, CA

Session 2

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Policy: What’s the Problem?

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The second panel, “Policy: What’s the Problem?” will clarify homelessness politics and policy, focusing on how to advance a new national will committed to providing affordable homes for all individuals.

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Speakers Include:

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  • Shaun Donovan, AB '87, MArch '95, MPA ’95, NYC Mayoral Candidate, Former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Former Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, based in New York, NY

  • Angela Howard, Senior Vice President, Real Estate and Facilities, Covenant House, based in New York, NY

  • Hanan Scrapper, Regional Director of PATH San Diego, based in San Diego, CA

  • Nithya Raman, Councilmember-elect, LA City Council District 4, based in Los Angeles, CA

  • Heidi Marston, Executive Director, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), based in Los Angeles, CA

Session 3

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Action: Accelerating Implementation

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The third panel, “Action: Accelerating Implementation” will explore a range of housing and other innovative solutions designed to help eradicate homelessness in the United States and abroad.

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Speakers Include:

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