On Building Urban Ecological Resilience

*The fourth public lecture of the Conservation School on salt and groundwater problems in historic settings within the framework of Athar Lina’s Groundwater Research Project.

This presentation discusses the role of ecosystem services in cities and their contributions to high performance projects. In the face of climate change, it also describes a more comprehensive approach to climate adaptation that considers water systems, ecosystems, and built environments to further enhance project effectiveness.

Joshua F. Cerra is an Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Cornell University Department of Landscape Architecture in Ithaca, New York. Prior to joining Cornell, Cerra practiced as a designer and an ecologist on projects in the Pacific Northwest and China. His academic and professional work addresses relationships between urban ecosystems, communities and site development processes, and their implications for urban ecological design and climate adaptation. He was the recipient of the Cornell CALS Young Faculty Teaching Excellence Award in 2014 and the CELA Excellence in Design Studio Teaching Junior Level Award in 2015.

*Athar Lina Groundwater Research Project organised by Athar Lina Initiative (Megawra-Built Environment Collective) in partnership with the Ministry of Antiquities and in collaboration with Cairo Governorate, the University of Oregon, the University of Cornell and Takween. Funded by the American Research Centre in Egypt with additional funding from the US Embassy, Cairo.

*The lecture will be in English.
*Location: Megawra al-Khalifa (Khalifa community center)
A Google map showing the directions to Megawra al-Khalifa: http://goo.gl/lvAu0C