November 5-6, 2018, the Page Foundation hosted AdRESS

On November 5-6, 2018, the Page Foundation hosted AdRESS (Advocating Resilience through Environmental and Social Solutions – Connecting the Conversations) held in the heart of downtown Houston at the historic Union Station Lobby, the primary event space of (and main entrance to) Houston’s Minute Maid Park. Originally constructed in 1911, Houston’s former rail transportation hub—now listed on the National Register of Historic Places—was restored and integrated into the design of Houston’s major league baseball park, which opened in 2000.

The day-and-a-half symposia was opened with a keynote address from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. Facilitated by BuildingGreen President Nadav Malin and in partnership with 100 Resilient Cities, this event brought together corporate, non-profit, academic, government, and A/E design stakeholders for conversations focused on reducing the socioeconomic impacts of climate events to build more resilient communities. This came about by recognizing that while great strides have been made to strengthen our built environment as a response to the many recent natural disasters around the country, little has been done to develop a comprehensive approach to social and economic resiliency issues.

AdRESS featured interactive panel discussions and focused breakout conversations, encouraging a multi-disciplinary holistic approach to planning and public policy. Local and national subject matter experts and participants discussed lessons learned as well as community engagement as preparedness and resilience strategies are increasingly important.

Participants discussed wide-ranging issues including:

• Food Security

• Water and energy reliability

• Access to health services

• Community mobility

• Reliable transportation and communications

• Training and community education

• Access to money and insurance that works for the community

• Supply chain management

• Government policy

• Community planning

The primary purpose of this event was to convene community services subject-matter experts, community leaders, and building professionals to collectively explore a systems-based approach to enhancing climate resilience that supports the health of our communities. AdRESS did this in a way that was interactive, inviting, roll-up your sleeves, engaging, structured yet conversational, and mindful of ongoing work and of specific communities’ issues.

SAVE THE DATE!

Registration for UniversALL, our upcoming 2025 symposium, opens soon.