Keynotes and panels
The Alliance for Global Sustainability
is a partnership of four scientific and technological universities – the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The University of Tokyo, Chalmers
University of Technology, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and
their associated partners. It was formed in 1997 in the conviction that closer
collaboration amongst some of the world's leading research institutions would
lead to faster progress towards sustainability.
Sustainability pledge of the AGS Annual Meeting 2009
The AGS Annual Meeting is distinguished by its commitment to sustainability values. The conference organisation has set targets to minimize the environmental footprint of the event.
Co-organisers
The AGS AM 2009 is co-organised by the AGS at ETH and the CCES. Partners include:
World Student Community for Sustainable Development WSC-SD
At the ETH Zurich:
The keynotes and panels were organised around eight Urban Futures themes. The programme also highlighted the role of universities as models for a sustainable society, including open access publishing and sustainable campus activities.
Keynote: Sustainable Urban Futures: Challenges and Opportunities for Academia
| Lars Reuterswärd, UN Habitat | abstract | webcast |
1. Pathways to sustainable energy systems: the role of research institutions
Historically, urbanization has been associated with
increasing per capita energy consumption, and urban areas are the
largest source of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. However, cities offer
enormous potential for carbon-free energy generation and more efficient
use of energy. The panel, hosted by the Energy Science Centre of ETH Zurich, debated how the world's energy architecture can be transformed on the scale needed, and considered the role of research institutions in meeting this challenge.
Moderator: Ralph Eichler, president of ETH Zurich introductory slides>>
Panelists:
| Konstantinos Boulouchos, director of the Energy Science Centre, ETH Zurich | webcast | |
| Ernest J. Moniz, director of the MIT Energy Initiative | webcast | |
| Keisuke Hanaki, director of The University of Tokyo Energy Flagship Program and representing the Japan Low Carbon Society Scenarios toward 2050 project. | webcast | |
| Filip Johnsson, director of the AGS Pathways to Sustainable European Energy Systems project | webcast | |
| Daniel Favrat, head of the Industrial Energy Systems Laboratory, EPFL | webcast |
2. Pro-poor urban futures in developing countries
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals will depend to
a large extent on how well developing countries manage their cities.
The speed and the scale of the urban transformation in the developing
world pose challenges to rural and urban dwellers, to the environment,
and to social cohesion. It is crucial to address urban poverty by a range of approaches, such as offering alternative livelihood strategies, improved access to services, resources and facilities, and social inclusion. The panel hosted by the North-South Centre of the ETH Zurich presented and discussed options for pro-poor urban
development.
Moderator: Barbara Becker, director of the North-South Centre, ETH Zurich
Panelists:
| Isa Maria Ferreira da Rosa Guará, UNIBAN University in Brazil and Anna Schmid, School of Social Work, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) | ||
| Andrea Catenazzi, Institute of Metropolitan Area Studies, National University of Argentina, and Adriana Rabinovich, LASUR, EPFL | ||
| Ouola Traoré, INERA, Burkina Faso |
pdf |
webcast |
| Doulaye Koné, Eawag |
pdf |
webcast |
3. Transforming the building stock for sustainability
Through improvements in technology, new buildings can contribute greatly to mitigating climate change and resource scarcity. But what can be done to dramatically reduce the energy and resources used by the existing building stock? A panel of experts from AGS institutions sought solutions.
Moderator: Peter Richner, EMPA (Swiss Federal Institute of Material Science and Technology) introductory slides as pdf
Panelists:
| Leon Glicksman, Building Technology and Mechanical Engineering, MIT | webcast | |
|
Carl-Eric Hagentoft, Building Physics, Chalmers University of Technology |
webcast | |
| Ryozo Ooka, Environmental Control Engineering, The University of Tokyo | webcast | |
| Hansjürg Leibundgut, Building Systems, ETH Zurich | webcast |
Keynote: Global Change in the Urban Century
|
Nancy Grimm, Arizona State University |
abstract |
webcast |
4. Urban ecology and environmental impacts
As intense hot spots of resource consumption,
large cities affect environmental conditions locally and beyond their
boundaries. Ensuring that urban areas develop sustainably will require
new technologies and new planning approaches - all based on a solid
understanding of how cities function as ecosystems at different spatial
scales.
Moderator: Janet Hering, director of Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
Panelists:
| Kensuke Fukushi, Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S), the University of Tokyo | webcast | |
| Christophe Girot, Network City and Landscape, ETH Zurich | webcast | |
| Greg Morrison, Sustainable Aquatic Systems, Chalmers University of Technology | webcast | |
| Andrea Rinaldo, Hydrology and Land Improvement Lab, EPF Lausanne | webcast | |
| Roland Schertenleib, Strategic Environmental Sanitation Planning, Eawag | webcast |
Keynote: Turbulence Ahead: dynamics shaping (and occasionally confounding) local energy and climate planning efforts
|
Stephen A. Hammer, Urban Energy Program, Columbia University |
abstract | webcast |
5. The challenges for institutions and policy
What are the institutions and policies needed for urban areas to combine high economic performance with
sustainability and a capacity to deal with risks and hazards? The panel combined speakers representing different urban governance players - politics, business, NGOs.
Moderator: Harald Mieg, associate professor, Institute for Environmental Decisions, ETH Zurich. introductory slides>>
Panelists:
| Illac Diaz, Centro Migrante, Philippines |
pdf |
webcast |
| Helmut Macht, Chief Technology Officer, Siemens Building Technologies Switzerland | webcast | |
| Qiang Liu, Ocean University and Tsinghua University, China | webcast | |
| Stephen Hammer, Urban Energy Program, Columbia University |
Summary slides>>
6. Size, shape and the sustainability of cities
This panel reviewed recent progress in understanding how cities function as complex systems, and discussed whether city development can be steered to achieve goals of sustainability. Can balanced development - avoiding excessive density and urban sprawl - be achieved? How can ecosystem services be maximised? Is smart growth possible and, if so, how? What decision-making framework - including cross-border planning - is necessary to enable the sustainable growth of cities?
Moderator: Bernd Scholl, Network City and Landscape, ETH Zurich
Panelists:
| Bish Sanyal, Urban Development and Planning, MIT | webcast | |
| Kazuhiko Takeuchi, United Nations University and Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S), the University of Tokyo | webcast | |
| Darren Robinson, Sustainable Urban Development Group, EPFL | webcast |
7. Urban Futures: happiness, mobility and society
This panel brought together different
disciplinary viewpoints to discuss the role of mobility in an
urbanised society, and its implications for sustainable development. There is a common assumption that growth will continue, and will be associated with continued growth in travel and transport. However, some economists and psychologists argue that the hedonic treadmill and the inability of consumers to assess the benefits of consumption undermine the happiness benefits of future growth. And the debate about
global warming and general resource depletion warns against further
unrestrained growth.
Moderator: Kay Axhausen, Network City and Landscape, ETH Zurich
Panelists:
| Andreas Schaefer, Dept of Architecture, University of Cambridge | webcast | |
| Alois Stutzer, Public Finance, University of Basel | webcast | |
| Thomas Rutherford, Professor of Economics, ETH Zurich | webcast |
Keynote: Open City: Designing Co-existence
|
Kees Christiaanse, architect, Network City and Landscape, ETH Zurich |
abstract | webcast |
Keynote: Vision for the Future of Cities in the Ecological Age
|
Peter Head, director of Arup |
abstract | webcast |
8. Urban Futures: how AGS universities are tackling the challenge
The great challenge of urbanization is to harness the process to ensure progress towards sustainability. How can academia contribute to meeting this challenge? This session presented important research initiatives of AGS universities related to achieving sustainable urban futures.
Moderator: Peter Edwards, AGS Faculty Coordinator at ETH
Panelists:
| Sumi Akimasa, AGS Faculty Coordinator at the University of Tokyo | webcast | |
| John Fernandez, Building Technology, MIT | webcast | |
| Sébastien Rauch, Chalmers University of Technology | webcast | |
| Gerhard Schmitt, Information Architecture, ETH Zurich | webcast |
