This series of discussions on Business and the City addresses the influence and responsibility of business enterprise in the city. We hope to organize, inspire, and sustain discussion on this topic with special focus on future possibilities for New York City, and the roles that business can, should, and must play in the evolving history of the City.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the New York metropolitan area needs to prepare for a future that many experts believe will see a greater frequency of powerful storms, resulting in unprecedented levels of flooding and damage. Proposed solutions are wide-ranging, from installing a series of massive tidal gates and barriers across New York Harbor to smaller-scale approaches such as waterproofing transportation tunnels and utility plants through use of high-tech pumping systems and raised ventilation stacks.
At the same time, there is growing consensus that the region’s building code must be significantly updated to require, for example, installation of advanced waterproofing systems to ensure survival of electrical and communications infrastructures under extreme conditions. Basic questions must also be addressed, such as how to protect the office infrastructure of downtown Manhattan, hospital complexes along the East River, and waterfront communities across the 5 boroughs.
GBA’s new Business and the City series and Fall 2013 seminar will seek to engage students from across Fordham University with community ‘fellows’ to explore how business can influence the infrastructure of the city through its interaction with the arts, education, and commerce.
Speakers include:
• Richard Ravitch, former NY State Lt Governor, former Chairman, MTA
• Patrick J. Foye, Executive Director, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
• Cas Holloway, Deputy Mayor for Operations, City of New York
• Kevin Burke, Chairman, President & CEO, Consolidated Edison
• Christopher Levendos, Executive Director of National Operations, Verizon
• John Zuccotti, Co-Chairman, Brookfield Office Properties
• Mike Wallace, Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of “Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898”
• Carol Kellermann, President, Citizens Budget Commission
• Lee Sander, Chairman of the Regional Plan Association; President and CEO, HAKS Group; former Executive Director and CEO, MTA
• Nicole Gelinas, Searle Freedom Trust Fellow, Manhattan Institute; Contributing Editor, City Journal
• Abraham M. Lackman, President, Praxis Insights, former Budget Director, City of New York, Scholar in Residence, Fordham University
Limited seating, advance registration required.
Registration fee (includes continental breakfast and lunch): $25 / $10 student rate.
For more information, contact Felicity Crew at fcrew@fordham.edu.
