Arizona State University Gathers Experts in London, England for Forward-Looking Urban Sustainability Workshop

Urban Stakeholders To Contrast the Urban Environments of Phoenix and London; Lay Groundwork for Improved Global Sustainability Practices and Addressing Common Urban Challenges

PHOENIX and TEMPE, Arizona, May 21, 2010 - Guided by the principle that today's cities are laboratories and their
leaders are researchers in the new science of urban sustainability, Arizona
State University's (ASU) Jonathan Fink, along with two British colleagues,
will lead Comparative Urban Genetics: Towards a Common Methodology for
Pragmatic Analysis of Cities. The workshop event takes place this weekend,
May 21-23, at University College London (UCL) in London, England.

Fink, who is the Director of the Center for Sustainability Science
Applications within the Global Institute of Sustainability, Foundation
Professor for the School of Sustainability, and Foundation Professor of
Geological Sciences for the School of Earth and Space Exploration, will bring
together government and business representatives, researchers, and urban
experts to contrast the experiences of two cities: London and Phoenix. From a
comprehensive perspective, the group will consider new ways to collect
complex data streams that feed information into models, help envision the
future and, ultimately, translate those visions into improved urban policies.

"No matter how different urban environments may look on their surface,
they typically share innumerable points of similarity," said Fink. "When we
uncover these shared paths and patterns–the "genetic code" of cities–we
move significantly closer to curing urban ills and putting our successful
practices to the highest and best use."

Guided by experts in their fields, and funded in part by the British
Consulate in Los Angeles, workshop participants will address four key
questions:

    - How can urban decision-making be transformed by new datasets and
      analysis tools?
    - Can cataloguing and classifying urban traits help city leaders learn
      from each other?
    - Which tools are most appropriate and useful for which stages of urban
      development?
    - How can we build multi-sector (corporate, government, NGO, academic)
      urban partnerships?

These questions build on a long series of applied urban research
projects, including a recently-published Tyndall Centre report that studied
Greater London's vulnerability to climate change and a U.S. National Science
Foundation project at ASU titled "Decision Center for a Desert City," which
evaluates ways that arid region water managers allocate their scarce resource
in the face of uncertainty due to the heat island effect, population growth,
and climate change.

Co-convenors Mike Batty from UCL and Jim Hall from Newcastle University
have both spent the past few years working with ASU researchers and a global
network of collaborators to develop a common urban methodology that can help
all cities address their long-term sustainability.

"Cities are where most people live and work; most innovation takes place;
most pollution and wealth are generated; and most vulnerability to climate
change occurs," said Batty. "We need to study these phenomena and make a more
common practice of compiling, publishing and comparing this critical
information."

Along with leaders from American and European public and private sectors,
key workshop speakers and panelists from ASU include Philip Christensen,
Regents Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration; Matthew Fraser,
co-director of research development, Global Institute of Sustainability and
associate professor, School of Sustainability; Subhajit Guhathakurta,
Professor, School of Sustainability and Professor, School of Geographical
Sciences and Urban Planning; Rob Pahle, Assistant Professor of Research,
Decision Theater; and Lela Prashad, Director, 100 Cities Project

More information on Comparative Urban Genetics workshop is available at
https://cssa.asu.edu/ucl_may2010.

About the Center for Sustainability Science Applications

The Center for Sustainability Science Applications promotes research that
reconciles the needs of society and nature through projects involving urban
systems, climate change, and sustainable technologies. The Center leverages
collaborations between faculty of Arizona State University and global
partners. Its programs combine a systems approach with new technologies
relevant to arid cities, such as solar power and water conservation and aims
to enhance conflict resolution, decision-making, scenario exploration, and
stakeholder engagement. The Center for Sustainability Science Applications is
affiliated with ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability and the School of
Earth and Space Exploration (sese.asu.edu). For more information about
the Center for Sustainability Science Applications visit:
cssa.asu.edu.

About ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability

The Global Institute of Sustainability is the hub of ASU's sustainability
initiatives. The Institute advances research, education, and business
practices for an urbanizing world. Its School of Sustainability, the first of
its kind in the U.S., offers integrated degree programs that advance
practical solutions to environmental, economic, and social challenges. ASU
has a vision to be a New American University, blurring the boundaries that
traditionally separate academic disciplines, promoting excellence among its
students and faculty, conducting cutting-edge interdisciplinary research
inspired by real world application, and leveraging its competitive advantage
through strategic global engagement. sustainability.asu.edu.

Karen Leland, Director, Communications/Marketing of Global Institute of Sustainability/School of Sustainability, +1-480-965-0013, karen.leland at asu.edu, or Nicole A Staab, Media and Public Relations, School of Earth and Space Exploration, +1-602-710-7169, nstaab at asu.edu, both of Arizona State University