Events

Upcoming events

2024 Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Speaker Series – Funded by the Global Justice Program 

We are excited to highlight the work of seven SCL members from across the Pacific Rim and share their expertise with the UO campus. Three of these speakers are from the United States, and the other four are from China, Canada, Philippines, and Columbia. Collectively, these speakers will provide a diverse set of perspectives on equity, climate resilience, and community engagement within their regions related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This series is graciously funded by the Global Justice Program and the HOPES Conference.

SCL Speakers in partnership with the HOPES Conference 

Jeff Hou: Catalyzing Change, Empowering Design – April 19, Friday 5:30 pm,  LA 177

Dr. Hou is a Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington in Seattle, Dr. Hou will address the role of design in catalyzing positive social and environmental change. He will explore how design, historically used to maintain the status quo, can now empower communities in urban settings. The focus will be on parks and open spaces as solutions to urban density and promoting healthy living. SDGs covered include Global Health and Wellbeing, Reduced Inequalities, and Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Panel: Designing the future: Global engagement in design education – April 20, Saturday 11:30pam, LA 177

Panel – Jeff Hou, Ken Yocom, Fei Mo, Yizhao Yang, and Yekang Ko, Designing the future: Global engagement in design education
This panel will explore the significance of global engagement within design education, drawing from their collective experiences in international design studios, field schools, design conferences, and study-abroad initiatives. Specifically, the discussion will highlight upcoming opportunities for students available through the Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Hub, an initiative of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU). This hub includes 21 universities around the Pacific Rim, focusing on place-based design and planning strategies to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It is based at the University of Oregon.

Panel: Collaborative Practice Along the Margins of Science and Place: The Burke Meadow – April 21, Sunday 10am, LA 177

Dr. Yocom, an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington, Seattle, collaborates with Polly Olsen, Director and Tribal Liaison at Burke Museum. They will discuss their collaborative project at the Burke Museum’s native food meadow, emphasizing the intersection of cultural, scientific, and design education. Their session will delve into the practice of aligning professional perspectives and intentions. The relevant SDGs are Sustainable Cities and Communities, Life on Land, and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

Andréanne Doyon – Just Nature-based Cities 

May 17, Friday, 4 pm, LA 115

Dr. Doyon is an Assistant Professor of Planning at Simon Fraser University’s School of Resource and Environmental Management, Dr. Doyon will present on nature-based solutions in urban infrastructure. She will discuss how these solutions contribute to resilient, livable, and equitable cities, emphasizing the integration of justice in planning and governance processes. Dr. Doyon will use case studies to highlight the importance of local and Indigenous knowledge. The talk aligns with SDGs on Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Life on the Land.

Pamela Gloria Cajilig, PhD

October – Time and location TBD

A Professorial Lecturer at the College of Architecture, University of the Philippines, Dr. Cajilig will focus on the materialities of disaster injustice in post-disaster housing reconstruction in an island community. She will employ anthropology and architecture methods to explore how injustice manifests in housing reconstruction, identifying key material registers that reveal social, economic, and political realities in disaster contexts. The SDGs involved are Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Climate Action.

Natalia Echeverri, MLA

November – Time and location TBD

A Senior Lecturer of Landscape Architecture at the University of Hong Kong, Ms. Echeverri will discuss the integration of ecology into landscape architecture education and practice. Her lecture will highlight interdisciplinary collaboration challenges and showcase practice-based projects that address sensitive sites and transform traditional aquaculture landscapes in Southern China. The SDGs touched upon include Sustainable Cities and Communities, Climate Action, and Life on Land.

Makena Coffman, Ph.D. – Challenges and Opportunities of Sea Level Rise Response for Hawai‘i

November – Time and location TBD

As an island community with world-famous beaches, Hawai‘i’s coastal managers face significant challenges in the face of sea level rise (SLR). Shoreline laws have recently been updated to limit further shoreline hardening, making Hawaiʻi a salient case study to understand the challenges and opportunities around managed retreat. We interviewed 42 private sector, civil society, and government actors involved with coastal governance and anchored our conversations to three distinct communities on O‘ahu. Factors that affected participant perspectives on the viability of retreat per site hinged on: 1) physical/natural barriers and opportunities; 2) perceptions of the public value of a beach; 3) the importance of existing infrastructure; and 4) the political influence of coastal homeowners. Participants’ views on who should inform the coastal planning process moving forward varied by site. In addition to residents, there was largely agreement that communities should include those with affinity and long-standing relationships with place.
Coffman serves in a dual capacity as the Director for the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience and a professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. Her interests include greenhouse gas reduction strategies; renewable energy planning and policy; low-carbon transportation; and sea level rise response. She specializes in regional economy-environment modeling with expertise in energy and climate policy. Her current research assesses energy planning and regulatory mechanisms to help Hawai‘i and the U.S. meet their clean energy goals, including low-carbon transportation options, as well as research on the economic and social impacts of sea level rise in Hawaiʻi. Makena is also a Research Fellow with the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization.

Past Events

Live Webinar Series

The APRU Sustainable Cities and Landscapes brings researchers and scholars together from across the Pacific Rim to engage in cross-cultural conversations around climate justice, sustainable, and social equity. Tune in to our biweekly webinar sessions this fall to learn how cities around the world are working towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in their own contexts.

To learn more about each webinar session and how to attend, click on the button below:

Topics Include:

  • Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Overview
  • Vulnerable Communities and Climate Justice
  • Water, Waste Water, and Sanitation
  • Coastal and Intertidal Zones
  • Energy
  • Smart Cities
  • Landscapes and Health
  • Children, Youth and Environment
  • Community Design Activism

This webinar series is led by the APRU Sustainable Cities & Landscapes Program based at University of Oregon alongside The University of Auckland, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and Arizona State University, in addition to six additional participating APRU member institutions.

Watch the Recordings – View the Full Playlist

Session 1 – Back to the Field? Community Design After COVID-19

Day 1 Recordings

Day 2 Recordings

Session 2 – Toward Smart Sustainable Cities in the Pacific Rim: Opportunities and Limitations

Watch Recording

Session 3 – Urban Sanitation and the Sustainable Development Goals: The Role of Container-Based Sanitation

Watch Recording

Session 4 – Knowledge Infrastructure for Sustainable Cities and Landscapes

Watch Recording

Session 5 – Children, Youth, and Environments: Resilience and Resourcefulness in a COVID World

Watch Recording

Session 6 – Landscapes and Health

Watch Recording

Session 7 – Cultural Perspectives on Urban Water Management in the Pacific: Policy, Planning, and Design

Watch Recording

Session 8 – Vulnerable Communities and Climate Justice

Watch Recording

Session 9 – Urban Landscape Biodiversity

Watch Recording

Session 10 – Engaging the Intertidal Zone: Innovation and Tradition in a Dynamic Landscape

Watch Recording

Session 11 – Planning, Design, and Climate Actions for Renewable Energy Transitions: Lessons from the Pacific Rim

Recording Coming Soon!

View the Full Playlist

 

Questions?

Contact sclhub@uoregon.edu

Learn about the 2020 APRU Plus Webinar Series