/ News / 50 Bay Area Student Leaders to Unveil Over 20 Design Solutions that Tackle the Threat of Climate Change and Growing Inequities

50 Bay Area Student Leaders to Unveil Over 20 Design Solutions that Tackle the Threat of Climate Change and Growing Inequities

Parul Dubey on April 23, 2018 - in News, People

Berkeley, Calif â€” The first-ever Y-PLAN Youth Challenge Regional Summit will be held on Wednesday, April 25th and will feature over 50 students representing over 800 of their classmates from East Palo Alto, Richmond, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Rafael as they present and discuss design solutions that tackle the local impacts of climate change. This summit is the continuation of a youth-led movement to reimagine communities in the Bay Area to be stronger and safer by solving complex urban planning issues.

YOUTH PRESENTATIONS: Students will present interactive proposals for five Bay Area cities: East Palo Alto, Richmond, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Rafael. These presentations will serve as a catalyst for future models of resilience planning and reciprocal learning, and are the product of hours spent conducting ecological, social, and political research.

PANEL DISCUSSION: The interactive presentations will be followed by a panel discussion with local student leaders, civic leaders, educators, and regional design, planning, and environmental experts about creating a youth leadership pipeline for resiliency and what it means to have a resilient Bay Area.

PARTICIPANTS:
Participants available for interviews with media include:

  • Over 50 Student Leaders from East Palo Alto, Richmond, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Rafael
  • Jennifer Wolch, UC Berkeley Dean of the College of Environmental Design
  • Prudence Carter, UC Berkeley Dean of the Graduate School of Education
  • Deborah McKoy, Executive Director of the Center for Cities + Schools
  • Amanda Brown-Stevens, Managing Director, Resilient by Design
  • Diana Sokolove, San Francisco Principal Planner
  • Daniel Hamilton, Oakland Director of Sustainability
  • Sequoia Erasmus, Richmond Mayor’s Office
  • Cynthia Wong, Executive Director LISC Bay Area

The event is free, family-friendly, and open to media. Interested media should contact Derek Jansen at (415) 834-8725 or [email protected].
 
More details about the Y-PLAN Resilient by Design Youth Challenge Regional Summit can be found here

ABOUT Y-PLAN:

The Y-PLAN Youth Challenge is a local initiative comprised of over 800 students working together in close collaboration with civic leaders and design teams from the Resilient by Design | Bay Area Challenge. For the past six months, students in 22 public schools around the Bay Area have been building the tools to examine the social impacts of climate change, and are now ready to present solutions and lead the way forward. In the classroom, on field trips to the project sites, and at events like the Flood Fair in San Rafael, students and Design Team members have been working together to bring to life their visions for a Bay Area that is more resilient and equitable.
 
As a part of its commitment to building real resilience in the Bay Area, Resilient by Design | Bay Area Challenge has partnered with the UC Berkeley Center for Cities+Schools (CC+S) to launch a sister effort to the design challenge currently taking place across the Bay Area. In January, Resilient by Design and CC+S launched the Resilient by Design | Y-PLAN Youth Challenge, a multi-month student challenge to envision and imagine a more resilient and equitable Bay Area, led by student thinking and learning.
 
The initiative, spearheaded by the UC Berkeley Center for Cities+Schools (CC+S), has more than 800 students from 12 elementary and high schools participating in the Y-PLAN Youth Challenge – an opportunity for students to dream big and envision a more resilient Bay Area grounded in equity.

ABOUT RESILIENT BY DESIGN:

Resilient by Design | Bay Area Challenge is a collaborative research and design initiative that connects design leaders to community members, local leaders, and national experts. In a year-long challenge, 10 Design Teams of landscape architects, engineers, designers, and other experts will work alongside community members and local government to identify critical areas along the San Francisco Bayfront and propose exciting new solutions that will strengthen our region’s resilience to sea level rise, severe storms, flooding, and earthquakes.
 
The Challenge will result in 10 new implementable solutions designed to help communities adapt to the future effects of climate change. These solutions will be designed to improve public access to recreation areas, address housing issues, protect vulnerable infrastructure, and strengthen transportation systems.
 
The Challenge was also modeled on New York Rebuild by Design, a partnership of The Rockefeller Foundation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Challenge will forge close ties with 100 Resilient Cities, a network pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation, of which San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley are members. 100 Resilient Cities is seeking to help 100 cities build resilience to thrive in the 21st century.
 
The Resilient by Design Executive Board is made up of leaders around the region representing governments, agencies, nonprofits, and advocacy groups throughout the Bay Area. The Rockefeller Foundation is providing major funding for this effort, along with other generous funders, including The California State Coastal Conservancy, Bay Area Regional Collaborative, The Seed Fund, Santa Clara Valley Water District, City and County of San Francisco, Resources Legacy Fund, Marin Community Foundation, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Learn more at www.resilientbayarea.org.

 
A calendar of additional Resilient by Design public events is available here.

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