Our Urban Future is Outside Your Window

Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development, and much more. But rapid urbanization has outpaced housing development and overwhelmed public services.

“In an era of dynamic change, when belief systems, social habits, and global relations are all under pressure, nurturing a shared vision for a common future is difficult but essential,” said Scott Boylston, professor of design for sustainability at Savannah College of Art and Design in The New Global Citizen.

“Within rapidly growing cities, which are presently home to approximately half the world’s population, people live closer and closer to one another, all the while feeling more and more isolated.”

In his article, Scott describes how future generations must change their approach to urban design. He teaches this appreciative approach at the Savannah College of Art and Design Master’s in Design for Sustainability. Students work side-by-side with members of the community and big business to create innovative solutions that foster inclusion and meet human needs.

Scott, CEO of Emergent Structures, will be speaking at the Global Engagement Forum (#SDGforum) on November 10-12, in Washington DC. Tune into the Global Engagement Forum broadcast on November 12, from 10am-1pm to hear Scott speak about his work with Emergent Structures.

Tweet Me: Tune into #SDGforum live Nov.12, 10am-1pm ET to hear @ScottBoylston speak about #Cities #SDGs #GlobalGoals http://bit.ly/1HJ6Dc6

Or join the two-day in-depth conversation at the Forum on the 10th and 11th, to discuss how to drive social change. You’ll have the chance to join a breakout session featuring Scott about how social enterprises get started and reach scale. Christian Bartley, Chair of MIT IDEAS Challenge Advisory Board, Mohammed Ashour, CEO of Aspire Foods, Pamela Roussos, Senior Director at Global Social Benefit Institute (GSBI) at Santa Clara University, and David Wilcox, Founder of Reach Scale join Scott for this important discussion.

Tweet Me: Let’s talk about #cities at the #SDGforum Nov 11-12, Washington DC with @ScottBoylston #SDGs #GlobalGoals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or the Global Goals, ratified by the United Nations, provide a common foundation for the public, private, and social sectors to come together and advance solutions to global challenges like rapid urbanization. The Global Engagement Forum provides a platform to discuss the challenge of creating inclusive and safe cities for all in relation to the SDGs such as:

• In what ways can we have a better urban future?
• How can we create sustainable and safe cities for the next generations?
• What does it take to create a resilient city?
• Who needs to come to the table to make sustainable cities a reality?

Join the conversation at the Global Engagement Forum as we discuss how to build a better urban future for next generations through progress on Goal #11: make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. 

Tickets are available here or follow the conversation on Twitter with #SDGforum.