The Livable Cities Forum: Building Better Communities through Resilience will take place October 28-30, 2019 at the Victoria Conference Centre in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
The eighth annual Livable Cities Forum is being hosted by the City of Victoria in partnership with ICLEI Canada, SHIFT Collaborative, and ACT (the Adaptation to Climate Change Team at Simon Fraser University). The Forum is a boutique event widely known for its high-caliber interactive sessions and diverse speakers on climate change action.
The impacts of climate change are being felt across social, built, natural, and economic systems in complex, interconnected ways. Now, more than ever, collaborative community-level action is required to build sustainable, healthy, and equitable communities that are resilient to the risks posed by a changing climate and more frequent extreme weather.
Actions that transform and protect our cities must play a role in fostering livable, thriving communities. The 2019 Forum is designed to showcase the importance of taking this synergistic approach to climate change planning and implementation at the local level. Be a part of the conversation on how to build better, stronger, and more connected communities that are prepared for current and future impacts of climate change.
Program Themes
Three themes will be interwoven throughout this event to help highlight how integrated action can enhance the social capital, economic security, equity, and vitality of our communities.
Exploring the Climate Change and Health Nexus
This theme will build an understanding on how approaches to climate change can not only protect, but also improve community health and well-being. Climate change action that uses a health and social equity lens can help to protect the most vulnerable, while at the same time providing a mechanism to build better neighbourhoods, promote social inclusion, and facilitate deeper collaboration and impact.
Role of Infrastructure in Building Better Neighbourhoods
Through this theme the Forum will delve into the role that infrastructure – both built and natural – plays in creating more livable, healthy, and equitable communities. Sessions will look at how to consider the co-benefits associated with various infrastructure types, the trade-offs involved with infrastructure decisions, and the relationship between infrastructure, resilience, and communities.
Advancing Low Carbon Resilience for more Livable Communities
Under the theme of low carbon resilience, the conference will explore how considering both climate resilience and moving towards a low carbon future in an integrated way can highlight the multiple co-benefits for communities and ecosystems. This theme will look at the role of green infrastructure, integrated planning, and collaborative action and how these can be tools to advance action on low carbon resilience.
This year’s program will be delivered in a variety of unique formats including panel discussions, plenaries and several interactive and dynamic sessions. Sessions are uniquely designed to go beyond presentation-style information delivery, and include several interactive and engaging workshops and world cafes for more networking and hands-on learning opportunities
Learn more about the program here.
Who should attend?
The Forum will be the ideal place for local governments, provincial/federal government, First Nations, the health sector, community service providers, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, community organizations, and the private sector to:
- Learn from Canadian and international experts about the impacts of climate change and how adaptation and low carbon resilience can shape communities;
- Explore the beauty of Victoria and the surrounding area through study tours, and see how it has become a leading city in sustainable design and climate action; and
- Network with climate leaders and innovators by sharing experience, strategies, and lessons learned in advancing low carbon community resilience.