The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) and Perry World House will host an event Wednesday, Nov. 4 on strategies for sustainable urbanization and development worldwide. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of Columbia’s Earth Institute and Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, will give the keynote address.

Sachs will discuss his most recent book, The Age of Sustainable Development, as well as the recent adoption of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, universally applicable goals that will drive the implementation of sustainable development on a global scale.

The event, titled “Sustainable Global Urbanization,” will also include a panel of experts discussing the challenges of providing affordable housing in an urbanizing world. Featured panelists include:  

• Eugenie Birch, Co-Director of Penn IUR; Lawrence C. Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research and Education Professor, Department of City & Regional Planning, Penn Design; Chair, UN-HABITAT’s World Urban Campaign
• Robert Buckley, Senior Fellow, Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy, The New School 
• Maruxa Cardama, Executive Coordinator and Founder, Communitas Coalition for Sustainable Cities and Regions in the New UN Development Agenda 
• Marja Hoek-Smit, Adjunct Professor of Real Estate, Director and Founder, International Housing Finance Program, Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center, The Wharton School
• Stephen Malpezzi, Professor, Real Estate & Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The event will be introduced by William W. Burke-White, the Richard Perry Professor at Penn Law and Inaugural Director of the Perry World House. Susan Wachter, Co-Director of Penn IUR, and the Sussman Professor of Real Estate and Finance at The Wharton School, will moderate the panel. 

“Sustainable Global Urbanization,” co-sponsored by Penn IUR and Perry World House, will be held on November 4, 2015, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Fitts Auditorium, 3501 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA. Registration is required.

All media interested in attending, please contact Deborah Lang at dlang@upenn.edu or (215) 880-2372.