Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities Symposium:
Climate Resilience in New York City

Aerial view of a train bridge over a river. Clouds are reflected in the water. In the upper right corner is the edge of land with green grass and trees. In the bottom left corner is land with some trees and about twenty cars and an industrial building.

Aerial view of New York City. image / Johnny Miller

Overview

Overview

On April 24, 2025, the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities will host an in-person symposium on Climate Resilience in New York City. The one-day event will focus on what actions can be taken to mitigate risk to people, the built environment, and infrastructure systems from extreme weather events.

The urban built environment is typically designed to last 100+ years. What happens when the ways that people live, move, and work do not match new climate realities? How can we adapt infrastructure systems and the urban built environment? How do we support social networks that have the potential to protect New Yorkers?

The symposium will bring together scientists, public officials, civil society representatives, industry leaders, practicing architects, planners, and urban designers to address the following questions: What are the most innovative and impactful solutions? What actions are needed in the short, medium, and long term? How do we overcome the political and economic barriers to climate adaptation? 

We hope you will join us. Let's work together to set the direction for future climate action in New York City. Space is limited — please register for the symposium to ensure your spot.

Schedule

Schedule

Additional schedule details are forthcoming.

8–9 a.m. | Check-in and Breakfast

9–9:30 a.m. | Opening

  • J. Meejin Yoon, Gale and Ira Drukier Dean, College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, Cornell University
  • Victoria A. Beard, Director, Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities; Professor, City and Regional Planning, Cornell University 

9:30–10:30 a.m. | The Science of Urban Climate Change in New York City 

Keynote Speaker: Radley M. Horton, Professor of Climate, Columbia Climate School, Columbia University 

10:30–11:30 a.m. | Panel 1: Flooding

Moderator: Timon McPhearson, Professor of Urban Ecology; Director of the Urban Systems Lab, The New School

  • Bridget Carle, Senior Vice President, Guy Carpenter
  • Alan Cohn, Senior Policy & Science Advisor, NYC DEP; Staff Chair, Water Utility Climate Alliance
  • Jeanne DuPont, Founder and Executive Director, RISE
  • Andrew Rumbach, Senior Fellow, the Urban Institute
  • Andrea Silverman, Professor of Civil and Urban Engineering New York University, FloodNet

11:30 a.m. –12:30 p.m. | Panel 2: Extreme Heat

Moderator: Somini Sengupta, International Climate Reporter, New York Times

  • Laura Bozzi, Senior Director of Environmental Health Policy, NYC Health Department
  • Rick Cook, Founding Partner of COOKFOX Architects
  • Christopher Jones, Chief Engineer in Electric Operations, Consolidated Edison of New York
  • Peggy M. Shepard, Executive Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
  • Melissa Umberger, Acting Assistant Commissioner of Resiliency and Recovery, NYC Emergency Management 

12:30–1:30 p.m. | Lunch

1:30–2:30 p.m. | Panel 3: Water Resource Management and Drought

  • Novem Auyeung, Director of Research and Monitoring, Environment & Planning, NYC Parks, NYC Urban Field Station
  • Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, Executive Director, Delaware River Basin Commission
  • Adam Freed, Principal, Bloomberg Associates and member of NYC's Water Board
  • Randy E. Hayman, Commissoiner, Philadelphia Water Department
  • Jerry Mead, Chief of Modeling and Analysis, NYC Department of Environmental Protection

2:30–3:30 p.m. | Concurrent Interactive Sessions

  • Mapping environmental justice in NYC with the EJNYC mapping tool, hosted by the NYC Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice
  • Examining heat policy and energy insecurity using NYC's environmental health data portal, hosted by the NYC Department of Health
  • Looking inside NYC's climate budgeting process and priorities for the 2026 fiscal year, hosted by the NYC Office of Management and Budget
  • The Future of Environmental Stewardship and STEW-MAP 2027, hosted by the U.S. Forest Service (to be confirmed)

3:45–4:45 p.m. | Panel 4: From Action to Solutions to Climate Resilience 

4:45–5 p.m. | Closing 

5–6 p.m. | Reception

Interactive Sessions

Interactive Sessions

  • Mapping environmental justice in NYC with the EJNYC mapping tool, hosted by the NYC Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice
  • Examining heat policy and energy insecurity using NYC's environmental health data portal, hosted by the NYC Department of Health
  • Looking inside NYC's climate budgeting process and priorities for the 2026 fiscal year, hosted by the NYC Office of Management and Budget
  • The Future of Environmental Stewardship and STEW-MAP 2027, hosted by the U.S. Forest Service (to be confirmed)

Speakers

Speakers

Additional speaker details are forthcoming.

Cornell University Interim President Michael I. Kotlikoff headshot posing in a navy suit with arms crossed

Michael I. Kotlikoff

Interim President of Cornell University

Michael I. Kotlikoff is the interim president of Cornell University and professor of molecular physiology.  

Prior to his appointment, Interim President Kotlikoff was Cornell’s longest-serving provost, holding that office from August 2015 to June 2024.  

He is a veterinarian and biomedical researcher whose laboratory’s work in cell signaling and heart repair was continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for over 35 years. He was the founding chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and chair of the Mammalian Genomics Life Science Initiative, and served as the Austin O. Hooey Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine from 2007 to 2015.

AAP Dean Meejin Yoon headshot against a white background

J. Meejin Yoon

Gale and Ira Drukier Dean, Cornell AAP

J. Meejin Yoon is the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) at Cornell University and cofounding partner of Höweler + Yoon. An architect, designer, and educator, Yoon is committed to advancing creative and critical practices and pedagogies, scholarship, and research to address the many urgent environmental and social challenges we face in our cities and communities.

A woman with long hair, a black blazer and white shirt smiles at the camera.

Bridget Carle

Senior Vice President, Public Sector Practice, Guy Carpenter

Bridget Carle forges partnerships with public entities and designs risk transfer solutions to alleviate financial exposures related to extreme weather and natural hazards. She works across North America at the federal, state/provincial, and municipal levels, including leading the development of community-based catastrophe insurance programs for at-risk communities. Prior to joining Guy Carpenter, she worked at Swiss Re, where she helped to create and implement dozens of innovative risk transfer solutions, including the world's first pandemic bond and extreme weather coverages for more than 16 Caribbean and Central American countries.  

A man dressed in a dark blue jacket smiles at the camera. Behind him is a blue glacier.

Alan Cohn

Senior Policy and Science Advisor to the Deputy Commissioner of Sustainability, NYC Department of Environmental Protection

Alan Cohn focuses on preparing water systems for climate change and population growth, using partnerships and financial incentives to protect communities and optimize infrastructure. He represents New York City as the Staff Chair of the Water Utility Climate Alliance, which brings together 12 of the largest water providers in the U.S. to collaborate on climate issues. He also cofacilitated Rainproof NYC, a working group of public, nonprofit, and private organizations to develop shared solutions to equitably reduce the risk from heavy rain and add value to communities. 

Radley Horton

Professor, Columbia University Climate School

A man with a short beard in a blue shirt looks at the camera.

Andrew Rumbach

Senior Fellow and Co-Lead, Climate and Communities Program, Urban Institute

Andrew Rumbach is a leading expert on planning and policy-making for disaster and climate change impacts in the United States. His areas of emphasis include affordable housing, zoning and land use planning, and long-term disaster recovery. He has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and sits on the editorial boards of the Journal of the American Planning Association and the Journal of Planning Literature. Before joining the Urban Institute in 2023, he was a tenured professor of urban planning at Texas A&M University. He has a Ph.D. and an MRP in city and regional planning from Cornell University.

Materials

Materials

Plans

Flooding

Extreme Heat

Drought, Regional Water Resources, and Municipal Water Supply

Environmental Justice

Climate Change Reports

Mapping Tools

Climate Budgeting

Featured Civil Society Organizations

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