BRIDGE SF 2016

Already cities around the world are struggling to manage increasing demands for energy.  There's a major need to update antiquated infrastructures dominated by non-renewable / carbon-heavy inputs, and an even bigger feeling led by new technologies that there's got to be a better way.  What technologies will rise to the top and how can cities optimize their use and adoption?    

This discussion pushes the boundaries of our imaginations toward a more perfect city. Technology and human-centric urban design has a lot to say about that, but so too does our individual mindsets and cultural norms.  Join us as we step forward into a connected city that is more eco and human-friendly by design, while also stepping up into a vision of a city that best supports life on planet earth.

No more waiting for someone else to come to the rescue!  This panel looks at how community organizations are empowering their citizens like never before to prepare for and respond to emergencies.  From necessity comes innovation and cities need more rapid and scalable responses if they are to rise to the challenge of natural disasters and emergencies affecting their citizens, businesses, and visitors.  Fortunately, people have always been willing to help and now they have the resources to do so.  Learn from experts in community-based resiliency measures in how to engage a community and together weave a net of safety.

Cities are incredibly complex, living entities that present formidable challenges for strengthening bonds that boost resiliency. At the same time, their size and intricacy provide unique opportunities to explore the key components of resiliency. Just how resilient is your city? Join us as we take a social-ecological systems approach in exploring how systems thinking can provide useful tools for understanding and addressing the structure and complexities of cities.