ICSD 2022 Plenary 6 | Translational Knowledge to Shape Sustainable Urban Futures
Channel: SDSN
Date: 2022-09-20

There is a broad consensus that the increasing proportions of the globe that is urbanised foregrounds the city as a site in which the futures of economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability will be challenged, realised or possibly failed. SDG 11 committed national governments to ‘Make Cities and Human Settlements Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable’. This goal is of major significance. By including a commitment focused on cities within a nationally-determined agenda, countries recognised both the importance of a place-based approach to development and the unique nature of the challenges facing urban communities of all shapes and sizes.  In this context the emergence of transdisciplinary urban sciences raises both promises about the potential to know the city better and longstanding challenges about how best to translate such knowledge into practice.

In this plenary we will consider three such challenges and opportunities:

- The core challenge of translating translational research and the opportunity of new urban sciences.

- The core challenge of a global urban agenda and the opportunity of international collaborations linking global science to global institutions.

- The challenge of practice on the ground in and within cities and the opportunity of linking research to practice and 'shaping urban futures'.

Speakers:

- Professor Michael Keith, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- Professor Sue Parnell, University of Bristol / University of Cape Town, South Africa
- Professor Pengjun Zhao, Peking University, China and Chief Editor, Cities
- Professor Juan Carlos Duque, Director RISE, EAFIT University, Colombia 
- Aromar Revi, Director Indian Institute for Human Settlements, India & Co-Chair, SDSN (moderator)

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About the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN):

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was set up in 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. SDSN mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. SDSN works closely with United Nations agencies, multilateral financing institutions, the private sector, and civil society.

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