The event provided a forum for discussion on lessons from Superstorm Sandy and strengthening urban resilience through public-private partnerships at every scale – from local power grids to a global network of forward-looking cities. There were about 120 attendees.
Introductory remarks were given by Stéphane Hallegatte, senior economist in the Climate Change Group at the World Bank, followed by Pace President Stephen J. Friedman who interviewed Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
A panel discussion followed on physical restoration, general insurance claims for loss of records, interruption of business and what worked well during Superstorm Sandy.
The panel was moderated by Pace alumna Rose Littlejohn, managing director of Business Services and LETS at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The final panel was on ways to advance policies that can distribute power generation around a grid, limiting the threat of abrupt blackouts like the one that struck lower Manhattan as Sandy’s surge came ashore. It was moderated by Andrew Revkin, senior fellow for Environmental Understanding at the Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies.
During closing remarks, Joseph Ryan, director of Pace’s homeland security program and an organizer of the summit, stressed the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to moving forward with plans for resilience of municipalities.
The summit was supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and sponsored by Verizon, PWC and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce with additional support provided by American Express.