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
  • Adam Freed, Principal, Bloomberg Associates
  • 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.

A black and white photo of a woman with shoulder-length dark hair and glasses smiling at the camera.

photo / Front Page Photography

Novem Auyeung

Director of Research & Monitoring, Division of Environment & Planning, NYC Parks

Novem Auyeung and her team monitor and assess natural resources in New York City parks; advise on their protection and conservation; manage the NYC Parks Research Permits Program; and use research and data to inform natural resources management. She is also part of the NYC Urban Field Station, a collaboration with the USDA Forest Service and the Natural Areas Conservancy that fosters knowledge coproduction across disciplines, connecting research and implementation. Her own research has examined the outcomes of urban forest and wetland restorations and the socio-ecological benefits of urban green and blue spaces, among others.

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. 

A woman with long brown hair smiles in front of a white building with RISE printed on it in green letters. The outline of a bird is painted on top of the I in RISE.

Jeanne DuPont

Founder and Executive Director, RISE (Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity)

Jeanne DuPont has worked closely with the Rockaway community and city agencies since 2005, devising strategies to redevelop large stretches of underutilized public land for the good of the community. Much of her work has involved in organizing community members and youth in using outdoor space for programming focused on social equity, health, and environmental justice.

a man with glasses and a beard

Radley Horton

Professor, Columbia University Climate School

Radley Horton's research focuses on climate extremes, tail risks, climate impacts, and adaptation. He was a Convening Lead Author for the Third National Climate Assessment, and is the Principal Investigator for the Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast. He is also the Columbia University lead for the Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub (MACH) and the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center. He has served on numerous national and international task forces and committees and is frequently interviewed by national and international media. 

a man with a black shirt and glasses

Timon McPhearson

Founding Director, Urban Systems Lab, and Professor of Urban Ecology, The New School

Timon McPhearson takes an interdisciplinary systems approach to advancing urban resilience, equity, and sustainability. He also cochairs the NYC Panel on Climate Change, and he is lead editor of Nature-based Solutions for Cities. His work has been recognized twice with the Ecological Society of America's Sustainability Science Award, as well as with the Innovation in Sustainability Science Award, and he has been named a NYC Climate Hero. He advises policymakers, corporations, and non-governmental organizations on urban climate risk and resilience, and his research has been covered extensively in the media.  

a woman with short black hair

Somini Sengupta

International Climate Reporter, New York Times

A veteran international correspondent, Somini Sengupta writes about people coping with life on a hotter Earth, with particular attention to the world's poorest, and about adaptation efforts. She has led New York Times coverage of West Africa and South Asia, worked in more than 50 countries, covered international diplomacy, and has been the lead writer of the Climate Forward newsletter. She has received a George Polk Award for international reporting as well as awards from the National Press Club, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Newswomen's Club of New York. 

a woman with short black hair and earrings

Peggy Shepard

Cofounder and Executive Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice

Peggy Shepard has a long history of organizing and engaging Northern Manhattan residents in community-based planning and campaigns for environmental justice. She has successfully combined grassroots organizing, environmental advocacy, and community-based participatory research to become a national leader in promoting environmental justice in urban communities — to ensure that the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment extends to all. She was the first cochair of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, and currently chairs the New York City Environmental Justice Advisory Board. Her work has received broad recognition and awards. 

a woman with long brown hair

Andrea Silverman

Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering, New York University

Andrea Silverman is a faculty member of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and is also affiliated with NYU's Center for Urban Science and Progress. Her research is centered on water quality, wastewater treatment, and urban flooding, with an overarching goal to protect public health and environmental quality. In addition, she works on applied research in urban settings, collaborating with government agencies and community-based organizations. She codirects FloodNet, a project that aims to design, build, and deploy low-cost sensors to measure and report urban flooding in real time and at the hyperlocal scale. 

A woman with long hair faces the camera

Melissa Umberger

Assistant Commissioner, Resiliency and Recovery Division, NYC Emergency Management

Melissa Umberger and her team work to mitigate hazards and increase resilience through planning, analysis, implementation, and operations. This includes maximizing Federal Emergency Management Agency funding to the City to recover and build back stronger after a disaster. The team also conducts data analysis and creates decision-making tools, including the forthcoming NYC Urban Risk Index, to enhance understanding of risk and prepare for future emergency events. She previously led the development of the City's 2019 Hazard Mitigation Plan update and NYC's Risk Landscape: A Guide to Hazard Mitigation. She also led the interagency coordination and data analysis for COVID-19, Post-Tropical Cyclone Ida recovery, and the September 2023 severe flooding event. 

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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