CEE Virtual Seminar Series - Changes in the Built Environment in Light of COVID-19: A City and Policy Perspective

Abstract: Cities have been the crucibles for experimentation for centuries. In response to the 1793 yellow fever outbreak, garbage removal and sanitation departments took hold in cities. The 1850's cholera outbreak helped spur the development of public health and urban planning. Now here we are in 2020, a year that has thrown so much in the way of our municipal leaders. In addition to a pandemic, the US has seen a movement for racial justice that parallels that of the 1960's. This seminar will discuss how 2020 has already begun to shape and accelerate trends in the built environment, from an increase in quality public spaces to shifts in mobility and automation to a need to rethink building design with health and a connection to nature at the forefront. This seminar will answer: which of the previously identified trends are cities turning to meet the confluence of crises and how can engineers play a role in this conversation?

Biography: Brooks Rainwater is the senior executive and director of the National League of Cities’ (NLC) Center for City Solutions. Rainwater drives the organization’s research agenda, community engagement efforts, and leadership education programming to help city leaders create strong local economies, safe and vibrant neighborhoods, world-class infrastructure, and a sustainable environment.

As an advocate for strong local leadership, Rainwater leads a team of experts across the field of urban policy and regularly advises cities both in the United States and globally on critical issues faced now and yet to come. He has published a wide variety of reports and articles on innovative solutions that lead to vibrant and successful cities.

Rainwater speaks regularly across the country and overseas on issues facing city leaders. Under his leadership of the center, it has grown and developed a host of new programs, from entrepreneurship and equitable development, to alternative energy and resilience, to urban innovation and enhanced city governance strategies.

Rainwater’s research and interests include advancements in technology and city innovation, mobility and the digital economy, and how the rise of state preemption is impacting local authority. His expertise is a draw for media outlets, including the TODAY Show, Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, and the New York Times. Rainwater also frequently contributes to publications such as Fast Company, CityLab, Business Insider, TechCrunch, and Fortune.

Prior to joining NLC, Rainwater was Director of Public Policy for the American Institute of Architects (AIA). While there, he developed the Local Leaders research series and spearheaded the Cities as a Lab initiative focused on the key role cities play as creative instigators of innovative practices.

Rainwater serves on numerous boards with current and past service to the STAR Communities Board, the American Library Association Public Policy Advisory Council, the International Advisory Board for the City of Rotterdam, and the Arlington County Environment and Energy Conservation Commission.

Additional Information:

Lecture begins at 4 p.m. and will be followed by a question and answer session. Event concludes at 5:30 p.m. Registration is required.