2021 Resilience Symposium
ULI San Diego – Tijuana is proud to present the 2021 Resilience Symposium: Water & Fire – Strategies to Address Land Use, Real Estate Risk and Equity in a Changing Climate

Building on the 2020 Inclusive Region symposium, Water & Fire will ignite new thinking in San Diego across a series of five sessions that focus on the current science behind climate change and land use. National and local experts will examine how our region’s public policy, development pattern and regulation across the public and private sector are shaping our future.
Event one will set the table with a discussion of the latest climate change research and its implications for major San Diego development projects. Event two will take a unique interactive approach to the question of social resilience and equity within our region. Our third program will delve deep into how innovative design approaches and technology can contribute to a sustainable future. The fourth event invites attendees to join a guided tour of the San Diego River and discussion of work being done to balance changing land uses and environmental protection. Finally, the symposium will close with a half-day summit featuring a keynote address and breakout sessions addressing public policy approaches to climate change as well as how it will impact your work’s bottom line.
This five-part symposium series will showcase the San Diego-Tijuana region’s work toward sustainability with a mix of virtual and live programs. Tickets are on sale for individual sessions as well as a package of all five at a discounted rate.
View Event Pamphlet
More InformationSponsor the 2021 Resilience Symposium
View PackagesSymposium Sessions:
Event 1 – Water & Fire: An Introduction
Wednesday September 8th from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m., virtual
The first session will “set the table” on the topic and provide the springboard for all future conversation and presentations. Spencer Glendon will lay the groundwork for the discussion and a panel will discuss key points – especially as it relates to what is happening in the San Diego-Tijuana region.
Moderator – Yehudi Gaffen, CEO of Gafcon, Inc. and Protea Waterfront Development
Keynote Speaker – Spencer Glendon, Probable Futures
Spencer Glendon is nationally-recognized consultant and speaker. He is working to make the consequences of climate change more vivid, intuitive, and useful. He is a pro bono consultant to many institutions including McKinsey and the Woodwell Climate Research Center. For many years he conducted and directed research at Wellington Management and holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and a PhD in Economics.
Response Panel:
- Professor Mark Merrifield, Director, Center for Climate Change Impacts & Adaptation, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, UCSD
- Garth Nagel (AICP, LEED-AP), Senior Facility Planner, Department of Navy-NAVFAC Southwest
- Julia Chase, Senior Resiliency Planner, City of San Diego
Event 2 – Building Social Resilience Through Creative Land Use Strategies
Tuesday September 28th from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m., Barrio Logan College Institute
Keynote– Sherri Franklin, CEO – Urban Design Center
Attendees will hear a stimulating keynote on the latest research into how environmental changes have had magnified effects on communities of concern with a special focus on the Barrio Logan community. Then, attendees will break into collaborative working groups and use a unique and interactive format to dialogue and brainstorm cultivating resilience responses to proactively address challenges and inequities. This program is organized by ULI SDTJ’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
Event 3 – How Innovative Design and Building Technology get us to Net Zero.
Wednesday October 20th from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., virtual
Moderator – Shaun Sumner, Vice President of Real Estate, Engineering and Facilities, San Diego Unified Port District – Real Estate
Event 3 will spotlight three unique case studies that provide innovative solutions to infrastructure, building/construction, and design. Each will relate to a different big picture focus of resiliency, followed by time for networking and Q&A.
Speakers + Case Studies:
- Ben Kaiser of Kaiser + Path – developer, Multi-family Portland – Mass Timber construction
- Mike Jobes, AIA, Principal, Miller Hull Architects – Del Mar City Hall
- Brendan Reed, Director of Planning and Environmental Affairs, San Diego Airport Authority – San Diego Airport, Terminal One
Event 4 – San Diego River Tour
Walking tour of the San Diego River with Rob Hutsel, President & CEO of the San Diego River Park Foundation and Wayne Chang M.S., P.E. Start at the Town & Country with an overview and discussion. The tour will focus on the Western 9 – from SDSU Mission Valley Campus to the ocean.
Click here for tickets.
Event 5 – Fire & Water Half-Day Summit
Thursday November 4th
MC for the Day: Billy Grayson, Executive Director, Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance and Senior Vice President, Centers, and Initiatives, ULI
Session One: State of the Region
Climate Action Priorities
A moderated discussion among sustainable leaders from San Diego, Tijuana, and other officials. What are the top 3 priorities for the region in the next 5 years?
Panelists:
- Terra Lawson Remer, San Diego County Board of Supervisors
- Carlos de la Parra, Profesor Investigador, DEUMA, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte
Tijuana, BC, México - Coleen Clementson, Director of Planning and Land Use, SANDAG
Session Two: Climate Risk & The Bottomline
A practical look at climate impact effects on access to capital, rising insurance rates and geographic “winners and losers”. The series of ULI/Heitman reports provide the basis to examine ways capital and insurance sources are factoring climate risk into their decision making.
Conversation with Billy Grayson and Laura Craft, SVP, Global Strategy & Investment ESG at Heitman
Click here for tickets.