(Local) actions shaping urban environmental trajectories in the global South

Register here to join in-person Register here to join online

Urban environmental issues in the global south have garnered research and policy importance over the last decades and DPU has been one of the institutions at the forefront of teaching and research on these issues. David Satterthwaite has been a key person who has helped to shape the field. Throughout David’s career working for the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) he has supported and learned from colleagues across low and middle-income countries who champion community-driven and local processes, including the Federations of slum/shack dwellers (SDI) and the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR). He uses his influence to help channel aid funds to support these local organisations and to influence policy and funding. David’s clear writing style and close connection with people most affected by environmental problems leads him to make insights into the fields of urban environmental change, climate change, health and disasters and he has taken these into important policy work with international organisations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), World Health Organisation, United Cities and Local Governments, and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, as well as publishing widely in journals and books. As one of the Editors of Environment and Urbanization, he has supported authors from different countries to publish their rich empirical insights, which has greatly enhanced the field. David Satterthwaite directed a module at DPU on environment and sustainable development in cities from 2001-2016 and introduced a new module on climate change and cities. He was awarded the Volvo Environment Prize in 2004 and was on the IPCC team that received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

The event will feature speakers drawn from DPU staff and from colleagues he has worked with across the world to reflect on the field and on the work they have done with David.

Co-chairs

Dr Pascale Hoffman, Associate Professor, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL

Dr Donald Brown, Associate Professor, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL

Prof Cassidy Johnson, Professor of Urbanism and Disaster Risk Reduction, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL

Speakers

David Dodman, Researcher, International Institute for Environment and Development

Celine d’Cruz, Visiting Researcher, International Centre for Climate Change and Development

Prof Julio Davila, Professor of Urban Policy and International Development, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL