Call for Participation, Papers and Presentations

Urban Living in the Age of Climate Change:  Sustainable Local Development in Hartford and Connecticut
March 26 - 27, 2020

The Urban and Community Studies Program of the University of Connecticut, the Center for Urban and Global Studies at Trinity College, and the Center for Montessori Studies at the University of Hartford along with the URBAN Hartford node invite you to participate in a 2-day symposium that will draw students, faculty, community partners, local officials, and the public into discussion of the climate futures of Hartford, other cities and towns in Connecticut, and neighboring areas of New England. This symposium will spotlight the challenges to our region including rising sea levels, larger storm surges, increasing extreme and unpredictable weather patterns, and environmental changes that will affect human health and well-being; we will also emphasize issues of equity and social justice as the effects of climate change spread unevenly around the world.

We aim to draw upon the expertise of many local and regional stakeholders and bring into dialog community members, students and faculty from many local organizations, industry and institutions of learning in and near Hartford. This symposium will bring together key civic actors who will shape climate change response in Connecticut and New England, as well as community leaders and select academic/discipline experts in climate change and urban design. The full day of events take place in downtown Hartford on Friday, March 27, with site-specific experiential opportunities on Thursday, March 26.

We invite proposals for presentations that address relevant themes such as:
• Environmental Justice and Urban Climate Change
• Climate Response Actions in Cities: Enabling Resilience
• Empowering Youth in Conversations on Climate Impact and Vulnerabilities
• Climate Risks and Vulnerabilities in Coastal Communities
• Green Infrastructure Transitions and Urban Form
• Community Gardens and Food Justice
• Governance and Climate Change in Urban Settings
• Climate Awareness in Urban Planning
• Youth Participatory Action Research and Public Scholarship
• Mapping Urban Natural Resources for Public Use

Please complete this submission form* by December 20, 2019 that includes a 500-word proposal, session description/abstract and title with name, affiliation and contact information to the organizers.  If you have questions, feel free to contact any of us:  Dr. Ken Foote (ken.foote@uconn.edu), Dr. Paige M. Bray (bray@hartford.edu), or Dr. Garth Myers (garth.myers@trincoll.edu).  Confirmation of selected proposals and specifics can be expected by January 6, 2020.

*If you need more time to complete a collaborative or community-based proposal, please contact us.

Symposium supported by a 2019 - 2020 Hartford Consortium for Higher Education Faculty Grant