SUSRN-Advancing Conference: The Next Urban Giants: Building Resilience and Equity into Growing Megapolitan Regions by Greening the Urban Human-Natural System

Washington State University, Pullman WA

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this Sustainable Urban Systems (SUS) workshop is to identify key sustainability issues associated with megapolitan growth and promising research areas that could be harnessed to promote a more equitable and healthy urban future. By convening a diversity of expertise across an array of disciplines, sectors, and locations, this conference aims to: (1) identify the key challenges megapolitan regions and their adjacent communities and natural spaces face as urbanization continues, (2) explore the myriad approaches used in megapolitan regions to address these challenges, and (3) synthesize this information to identify priority research areas that a research network could promote for improving urban systems sustainability. In pursuing the megapolitan-focused approach, input will be solicited from a diversity of experts through an interdisciplinary, synthesis-focused agenda. The target to converge and focus on the most critical megapolitan challenges and opportunities and outline a framework for building strong, collaborative relationships. It is anticipated that the active engagement and participation of academics and industry with local governments and non-profit groups who are tasked with implementing sustainability initiatives will lead to a number of new partnerships and outputs. The end products from this conference, shared widely across the PI and co-PIs networks, will take form as a (1) white paper to NSF, (2) peer-reviewed synthesis article journal article, (3) "Green Print" for work managers and practitioners to help them transition material from the conference into their daily work, and (4) scope of work for informing future education and outreach products. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.