This seminar will highlight the perspective of young citizens. Students from New York, Bangalore, Stockholm and Gothenburg have been engaged in local projects visualizing ecosystem change in their school areas. The students will discuss future cities and their own visions of a sustainable and more resilient urban development.

Nobel Laureate and Prof. in Political Science, Dr Elinor Ostrom, will give a lecture on lessons from collaborative planning and learning for sustainability from different parts of the world. A dialogue among the students, Elinor Ostrom, an expert panel and the audience will focus on the need to build arenas involving young citizens in forming the cities of the future.

We welcome scientists, urban planners, students and policy makers.

Simultaneous interpretation Chinese/English will be available.

Programme
9.30 Registration and coffee/tea

10.00 Innovative use of biodiversity and ecosystems for improved human wellbeing in urban landscapes
Thomas Elmqvist, Professor of Natural Resource Management, Stockholm University

10.20 Lessons from collaborative planning and learning for sustainability Elinor Ostrom, Nobel Laureate 2009, Professor of Political Science, Indiana University (on video recording)

10.40 Questions from students to Professor Elinor Ostrom. Discussion.

11.30 Lunch break

12.30 Presentations of student projects from Stockholm, New York, Gothenburg and Bangalore

14.00 Break

14.15 How can the visions of young citizens be better integrated in urban planning? Scientific comments on students´ presentations and discussion.

- Wang Xiangrong, Professor of Urban Ecology & Environmental Planning,
Fudan University.

- Yu Ying, Associate Professor, College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University

- Marianne Krasny, Professor and Chair in the Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University

- Keith Tidball, Associate Director of the Civic Ecology Lab, Cornell University

- Douglas Meffert, the Eugenie Schwartz Professorship in River & Coastal Studies, Tulane University

- Henrik Nolmark, Acting Director, Mistra Urban Futures, Gothenburg
- Thomas Elmqvist, Professor of Natural Resource Management, Stockholm University

15.30 Concluding remarks by Christine Alfsen, Senior Programme Specialist for Sciences, UNESCO

Moderator: Eva Krutmeijer, science communicator, Stockholm

The seminar is free of charge. Please, register by sending an e-mail to freya@nordiccentre.org

Link to adress and map
Contact: Eva Krutmeijer, eva.krutmeijer@sei.se