Over the course of June and July, the Polish National Council of Urban Land Institute have virtually gathered international experts to discuss how cities can rebound from the current crisis. Reflecting on urban themes, the panelists explored the pandemic impacts in light of climate change, resilience, sustainable financing, wellbeing and technology. Apart from successfully bringing together real estate professionals from Poland, the e-conference proved popular among the audience of worldwide ULI members.

In light of global guidelines on social distancing, the annual ULI Poland conference moved to an online platform. The change opened the forum to listeners from around the globe, attracting an audience from countries such as Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, the UK and the US. The program included inspiring presentations and global insights of architects from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, MVRDV and SLA Copenhagen, as well as innovators from reSITE and Global Resilient Cities Network, among others, and leading investors including Echo Investment, Ghelamco and Skanska.

“Rather than proposing radical changes that rarely see comprehensive realization, we must instead embrace cities as organic, resilient, urban ecosystems that can adapt and be directed towards specific, accelerated change. Despite the pandemic, cities continue to offer tens of millions of people a place to live, work, recreate, meet their daily needs and benefit from social connections. Cities are needed now more than ever,” said Daniel Ringelstein, director of urban design and planning at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, a Chicago-headquartered global architectural, urban planning and engineering firm.

(WBJ)