IN TH E WO RLD, FO R TH E WORLD
Building Resilient Cities for the Future Bangkok, Thailand played host city to a major regional conference from MIT Sloan (made possible with the funding of Bangkok Bank under the leadership of Chartsiri Sophonpanich, SM ’83, SM ’84, President of Bangkok Bank) on the future of the “resilient city”: a construct adapted to the changing space and resource-scarce urban environments of the 21st century. Convened last December, this event brought MIT Sloan, MIT, and Thai leaders together to explore questions of the design, development, and impact of the global megacities that will house more than half of the world’s population within a few decades. As Roberto Rigobon, PhD ’97 (Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management; Professor, Applied Economics) explained, “The objective was to create a relationship between MIT and Thailand, where we can learn from each other.” Elaborated John Grant, SM ’79, Senior Lecturer in International Action Learning Programs, “Asia is in a prominent position here, in terms of the scale, growth, environmental exposure, and complexity of its urbanization trajectory.” In short, this inaugural conference opened the door for a future of fruitful urban co-invention.
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MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT