Event: Post-industrial Cities & Urban Resilience panel discussion

Policy Scotland in partnership with the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) presents a panel discussion: ‘Post-industrial Cities & Urban Resilience: Learnings from Scotland and the U.S.’

Details

Glasgow and Pittsburgh are connected by a shared post-industrial history (focused on shipbuilding and steelmaking respectively), and also face similar challenges in terms of the future shape of their economies and communities. The RSA has been working in Pittsburgh to amplify economic and social strategies for post-industrial cities through the lens of resilience. Whilst the resilience concept was originally framed around climate change and large scale shocks that cities might face, it has expanded and evolved to include the wider understanding of the essential components of a city’s resilience, including social security, the economy and community cohesion.

This panel discussion, hosted by Policy Scotland, will examine the work that has been undertaken in Glasgow and Pittsburgh around these key themes and its links to developments elsewhere in the UK and North America. The discussants will reflect on how cities like Glasgow and Pittsburgh have adapted to the changes they have faced, and what a successful future might look like for them. It will also consider examples from other areas, and look to identify opportunities for further collaboration and impact. Questions and contributions from the floor will be welcome.

All are welcome to come along. We will provide tea and coffee from 10.00 and the panel discussion will commence at 10.15, finishing at 11.30am. The event will be held in the Senate Room in the Sir George Gilbert Scott Building (also known as the Main Building), University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ. Entrance via the University main gate.

About the panelists

Lolita Jackson, Chair (RSA US)
Duncan Booker, Chief Resilience Officer, Glasgow
Grant Ervin, Chief Resilience Officer, Pittsburgh
Host: Des McNulty, Policy Scotland

Lolita Jackson works for the New York City Mayor’s Office and has a played a leading role in work to adapt her city to the effects of climate change, which rose high up the agenda in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. She has a strong affinity for Scotland and is a regular visitor to these shores, having regularly performed at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Duncan Booker and Grant Ervin are the respective Chief Resilience Officers for their cities, both prominent and active members of the Rockefeller Foundation’s global 100 Resilient Cities network and have jointly led the establishment of a post-industrial cities network under the Rockefeller umbrella. They have collaborated in setting up a joint project exchanging information about resilience and wellbeing policies between Glasgow and Pittsburgh, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.