The Kickoff will lay out the theme of the Summit and an overview of the activities and structure of the Summit. Speakers will interrogate ‘fragility’ by focusing on the ways that our current systems are fragile and how prior crises have been overcome. 

Watch the Recording

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, on Building a Resilient City

MetroLab Board Chair Bill Fulton will interview Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, with a focus on the response to various crises, from Hurricane Harvey to COVID-19.

SYLVESTER TURNER

62nd Mayor of Houston

Civic Innovation in the Wake of Disaster

From a multitude of climate-related disasters to a global pandemic to economic downturn to the continued and renewed battle for racial justice, the last year has shown us that our society is situated within systems that are unsustainable, inequitable, unjust, and unsafe. In spite of this, we have found a way to persist and move forward. But we recognize that forward movement is not enough. How might we reimagine a world where we all thrive? To look to our future, we must first look to our past. To identify new roads, we must first look to those who have been doing the work all along. Our opening panel features 3 speakers who, in the wake of a crisis, forged a path toward resilience. We look to these local leaders to understand how and what it will take for us–all of us–to (re-)build systems that are sustainable, equitable, just, and safe for all.

Panelists:

JULIA KUMARI DRAPKIN CEO & Founder ISeeChange

MAX VARGAS Policy Advisor to Mayor Michael Tubbs City of Stockton

DAVID WERTHEIMER Former Director, Community and Civic Engagement Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2006-2019)