Potsdam Summer School Explores the Future of Cities
28.08.2017
International Exchange
The rapid pace of change around the world is presenting humankind and human environments with tremendous challenges. What solutions and strategies can we employ to future-proof our cities in the age of climate change? Experts from 30 countries will meet to discuss these issues with leading sustainability researchers at the 2017 Potsdam Summer School on 4 – 13 September. Their findings will be presented to the public in a memorandum on 13 September.
From rising temperatures to ocean acidification and biodiversity loss, changes in the natural environment are having a massive impact on the futures of billions of people worldwide. The latest edition of the Potsdam Summer School will explore potential solutions to enhance the sustainability of human environments in a rapidly changing world.
Over the course of ten days, talented early-career researchers and young professionals will meet to discuss the challenges of the future. How can energy and transportation systems, water supply networks, and land use practices be adapted to address the impacts of population growth, climate change, and other mega-trends as well as delivering on the promise of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development? Developing viable solutions to these complex challenges requires diverse perspectives and knowledge that is grounded in experience.
Addressing global challenges through diverse perspectives
Selected from a pool of over three hundred and fifty applicants, Potsdam Summer School’s 42 participants are aged 25-45 years and come from diverse professional backgrounds and parts of the world. Bringing together a broad spectrum of knowledge, the participants will meet in Potsdam with leading international researchers in the field of sustainability to develop strategies for the future of human environments.
On 8 September, the Summer School participants will visit the garden-city borough of Drewitz in Potsdam, a local example of sustainable urban development. On 13 September, the participants will present a memorandum detailing the findings of the 2017 Potsdam Summer School.
The fourth edition of the Potsdam Summer School is organised by the Alfred Wegener Institute – Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), the Helmholtz-Centre Potsdam – GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), and the University of Potsdam in cooperation with the Capital City Potsdam.
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