Several New School faculty are in Medellin, Colombia for the 7th World Urban Forum (WUF). The forum has attracted over 25,000 attendees from 164 countries. The week-long event boasts an itinerary with over 500 speakers, including Nobel Laureate in Economics Dr. Joseph Stiglitz, heads of state, government ministers, and representatives from The New School: senior fellow in the Graduate Program in International Affairs Bob Buckley, Director of International Affairs Michael Cohen, Associate Professor Margarita Gutman, Desiree Lavecchia from the Observatory on Latin America (OLA), Merida Escandon, Fabiola Berdiel and Shagun Mehrotra. Michael Cohen is the moderator of WUF7 Dialogue 4: Innovative Financing Instruments for Local Authorities and of WUF7. The former event focuses on the challenges that exist in developing countries in generating the revenue necessary to finance urban development projects. The Universities Roundtable will gather scholars, experts, researchers, university representatives and heads of thematic areas of UN-Habitat to discuss the role of knowledge and education in address the challenges of sustainable urbanization in the 21st century.
The New School is running a booth which features rotating presentations on planning for an urban future and exploring the implications of increasing urbanization. The booth will also showcase The New School’s diverse array of undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on urban planning and related fields. This year’s New School’s Networking Event is “Inclusive Sociospatial Development in Bangkok, Buenos Aires and New York River Basins” Produced in partnership with Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, and the University of Buenos Aires, this ongoing research initiative uses cross-regional and multidisciplinary analysis to provide insight into urban challenges around the globe.” The New School continues to be actively engaged with the international community and leads the dialogues taking place on the world’s most pressing issues.
