October 11, 2017

The Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation will host its inaugural Urban Innovation Summit from October 30th through November 1st. The Summit will address vexing urban challenges using real-world projects identified by Lindy’s first class of Urban Innovation Fellows, and will showcase Drexel’s unique interdisciplinary approach to urban problem solving drawn from the talents of our faculty and students in the newly created Masters in Urban Strategy(MSUS) program. Multidisciplinary problem solving is a hallmark of the Lindy Institutemission and vision, and the Summit will bring together experts from the fields of engineering, environmental science, urban design, planning and policy, economics, creative placemaking, real estate and development, public health, and criminology to create innovative approaches to the Fellows’ challenges.

Over three days, interdisciplinary teams led by renowned experts will participate in a Fellows Forum to produce strategies that the Urban Innovation Fellows will carry forward in collaboration with Lindy and the very first cohort of MSUS students over the next three to six months. Leading members of the local design community will be invited to join the workshop teams, which will also include community members identified by the Fellows and undergraduate students seeking to gain experience.  The Summit will culminate in the inaugural Drexel DialoguesUrban Innovation in the Age of Trump, an evening of timely, probing discussion and debate, as well as music and entertainment, with the opportunity to connect with other urbanists from Philadelphia and beyond. The program will include Bruce Katz, Centennial Scholar at the Brookings Institution, and Jeremy Nowak, Lindy Institute Distinguished Fellow, who will discuss their forthcoming book, The New Localism, focused on how cities can innovate and lead in the wake of the federal government and states abdicating responsibility; Shannon Marquez, Vice Provost for International Development at Drexel and Clinical Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at Drexel, specializing in sustainable solutions to public health crises; Roberto Moris, Professor of Architecture at Catolica University in Santiago, Chile with a focus on disaster planning; and Alan Greenberger, Lindy Institute Distinguished Fellow and Architecture, Design & Urbanism Department Head, with extensive experience in large scale planning and economic development, discussing global urbanism and innovations Philadelphia can employ from best practices the world over.

Drexel Dialogues will be held at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and is produced in partnership with Drexel's Office of International Programs, one of the closing events of Global Philly 2017. A reception celebrating the completion of the Summit and the exciting work to come will follow the program. If you have questions regarding The Summit and its concurrent events, please email lindyinstitute@drexel.edu

The Summit: October 30-November 1 // Follow the progress on Facebook and Twitter

Drexel Dialogues: Wed. November 1 // 6-8PM // Academy of Natural Sciences // Register here