Mandag Morgen dyrker grønne byer i San Francisco

This week global thought leaders on sustainability, urban design and green growth development will convene both virtually and physically in San Francisco for a three-day high level Symposium. With the goal of fostering sustainable urban development and design, the landmark symposium will shed light on the successful development of sustainable cities.

Monday Morning is one of the partners behind the Symposium, which will include participation by the mayors of San Francisco and Paris and several industry leaders. Climate director Per Meilstrup of Monday Morning will join several sessions during the event.

Per Meilstrup will also appear on NPRs KQED Forum with Michael Krasny on february 23.

Cities are at the epicenter of a global shift of population from rural to urban settings. They are the powerhouses of the global economy and contribute centrally to knowledge production and innovation. The future of cities will therefore be a defining element of the global future. Its economy will be one that maximizes efficiency in the use of land, water and energy, thereby conserving resources, reducing impact on the environment, and enhancing livability.

Understanding the relationship between city development and green growth development is critical. The symposium will directly link discussions of green city development with that of a successful transformation to a green economy.

The symposium will feature a high-level exchange of ideas and information among elected officials, planners, researchers, technologists, business executives and other leaders recognized worldwide on the theme of sustainable urban development and the evolution of green cities.

Its objective is to advance the state of the art in green urban design, based on the vision and shared experience of a selection of the world’s most innovative cities. Focal points will include urban design, the applications of technology, and behavior.

Council Member of the Green Growth Leaders Sean Randolph, President of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, has been leading the efforts from the very beginning in collaboration with LSE, Cisco and Deutsche Bank. He is stressing how this event seeks to achieve a virtual and physical interchange of best practice that can help drive green growth forward: “We’re extremely excited to have such an esteemed gathering of global experts on sustainable urban growth convene in San Francisco. Their experience of planning and living in some of the world’s most innovative cities is invaluable, and we hope that the exchange with leaders from US, China, India and Europe will help advance the state of the art and feed into the work of the Green Growth Leaders initiative”.

The Green Growth Leaders will through our collaboration with the symposium ensure to report on the key findings and lessons learned derived from this event and ensure that these are fed in to our future work.

For more information on the event objectives, speakers and a selective Global Green Cities literature review please go to: http://www.globalgreencities.com/

You can follow the event live on: http://www.ustream.tv/ciscotv