ASIAN APPROACHES TO URBAN CHALLENGES: INSIGHT FOR THE PUBLIC AND POLICYMAKERS

The University of San Francisco Center for Asia Pacific Studies is pleased to present an online panel discussion focusing on Asian approaches to pressing issues of urbanization in 21st-century East Asia and their implications for policy in the United States. Our goal is to cultivate a discussion across the Pacific region on these important matters that have deep ramifications for US policymakers and public welfare.

ASIAN APPROACHES TO URBAN CHALLENGES: INSIGHT FOR THE PUBLIC AND POLICYMAKERS

Thursday, April 20, 5:00-7:00 pm PT

Online - Zoom

Free and open to the public. Registration required.

Panelist: Heather Clydesdale, Assistant Professor, Department of Art & Art History, Santa Clara University
“Balanced by Design: Promoting Environmental Sustainability and Human Welfare”
This talk examines the work of the Taiwanese architectural firm FieldOffice, which draws on traditional design principles to produce contemporary creations. Their innovative buildings and sites show that design and aesthetics are neither peripheral nor superfluous but can be powerful agents in advancing environmental sustainability, social connections, and civic engagement.

Panelist: Albert Tonghoon Han, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
“Decarbonizing Cities with Smart City Technologies in Korea: Prospects and Caveats”
Cities account for 78% of the world’s energy consumption and produce more than 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonizing cities is a priority that requires reducing buildings’ energy use; increasing land use mix and density to reduce motorized transportation; electrifying fossil fuel-dependent systems, including building and transportation systems; expanding renewable energy production; and maximizing carbon sinks. In this talk, I will introduce the case of Sejong City, a master-planned Smart City in Korea, and discuss the prospects and caveats of utilizing Smart City Technologies for decarbonizing cities. 

Panelist: Matthew D. Marr, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology, Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies, Asian Studies Program, Florida International University
"Mass Homelessness, Community, and the Covid-19 Syndemic in Japan and the US “
With the Covid-19 pandemic intersecting with longstanding local forms of systemic inequality, mass homelessness has become more visible in cities in the United States but more hidden in cities in Japan. What social, economic, policy, and cultural contexts are driving these differences? How are local communities addressing these changing forms of housing insecurity? 

Discussant: Rachel Brahinsky, Ph.D, Associate Professor, Politics, Urban Studies, MA in Urban & Public Affairs at the University of San Francisco