Under the theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” and the three sub-themes of sustainability, mobility and opportunity, Expo 2020 Dubai will gather diverse global thought leaders and experts to collaborate and inspire positive change. Exploring how we live and grow in harmony with our planet, Expo 2020 Dubai will be curating a series of events during Urban and Rural Development Week (31 October to 6 November 2021) as part of its wider Agenda 2030 conversations that are occurring across the six months of the expo.
The World Cities Day at Expo 2020 Dubai will focus on green and resilient recovery in MENA and across the world, bringing together practitioners from public and private sectors, urban change makers, and youth. In line with this year's "World Cities Day" theme: Adapting cities for climate resilience, the event will focus on sharing knowledge and best practices in order to make more cities climate-resilient.
The UK will be assuming the COP26 Presidency, in partnership with Italy, in November 2021 with planned events in Glasgow. Both countries are committed to putting climate change and the reversal of biodiversity loss, including the need to build better following the impact of COVID-19, at the heart of the multilateral agenda in 2021 and beyond. At the RIBA, we believe that the global architecture profession has much to offer on this agenda and our future architects are critical to achieving net zero design and build. At the expo, the RIBA will host an event to showcase architectural university students’ views on this important topic with leading architects sharing their knowledge.
Session 10: Youth reimagining the climate-resilient spaces of tomorrow - 31 October 2021 at 4.50pm GST
To wrap up the flagship event, this session will include a series of interactive international interviews that unite university students of architecture, urban design, and urban planning to discuss the following questions:
- How can we build more climate-resilient spaces?
- What are the inspiring visions from young voices in architecture, urban design, and planning?
Key speakers include:
- Alan Vallance, Chief Executive Officer at RIBA
- Prof. Amira Osman, Professor of Architecture, Tshwane University of Technology
- Tan Szue Hann, Chairman of Sustainability, Singapore Institute of Architects
- Mokena Makeka, Architect and Principal, Dalberg (Moderator)