Join your fellow New Yorkers at Talking Transition to discuss the future of New York City as we welcome a new administration.

Talking Transition is an open conversation between New Yorkers, as we begin to think about how we transition to the next mayor. From November 9 – 23, the newly erected Transition tent on Duarte Square between Canal Street and 6th Avenue will feature panel sessions and discussions, multimedia presentations, and a chance for YOU to provide feedback and input throughout.  Learn more about Talking Transition, and view the full schedule here.  Join MAS and partners at a series of panels and breakout sessions throughout the programming.

Wednesday, November 13

12:30 – 1:30 PM
MAS and HR&A host: The New Resilient City: Big Infrastructure Meets Community Fabric

Share your ideas for creating a livable and resilient New York City!  Come engage in conversation with a thought-provoking panel of landscape architects and urban designers, policy and urban planning experts, infrastructure engineers, and community organizers to share your policy and investment priorities for creating a livable and resilient city through the next administration. Participants on this session will include:

• John Boule, Vice President, Parsons Brinckerhoff
• Joan Byron, Director of Policy, Pratt Center for Community Development
• Ruth Finkelstein, Senior Vice President, Policy and Planning, The New York Academy of Medicine
• John Headland, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager, Moffatt & Nichol Engineers
• Adam Lubinsky, Managing Principal, WXY architecture + urban design
• Henk Ovink, Senior Advisor to HUD Secretary, Shaun Donovan, and Chair of the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force and Director of Rebuild by Design
• Jamie Springer, Partner, HR&A Advisors
• Laura Starr, Principal, Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners, and President, ASLA-NY
• Mary Rowe, Managing Director, Municipal Art Society (Moderator)

2:00 – 3:30 PM
North Star Fund hosts: From the Edge of Disaster: How Activists and Insiders Can Use the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy to Make the City Safer

Join this rapid-fire presentation and interactive conversation to discuss what worked, what didn’t, lessons learned and implications for the future. With organizers, activists and thinkers on the frontlines of an equitable recovery and rebuild, this panel will discuss specific steps Mayor-Elect DeBlasio can take within his first 100 days to prepare for the next disaster and to rebuild ties with community organizations that are the lifeblood of so many neighborhoods.  Participants on this panel will include:

• Hugh Hogan, Executive Director, North Star Fund
• Nathalie Alegre, Coordinator, Alliance for Just Rebuilding
• Lisa Cowan, researcher and Board Chair, Red Hook Initiative
• Jill Eisenhard, Founder and Executive Director, Red Hook Initiative
• Megan Fliegelman, New York Coordinator, U. S. Resilience System
• Ligia Guallpa, Executive Director, Workers Justice Project
• Imara Jones, economics contributor, Colorlines Magazine
• Joseph McKellar, Executive Director, Faith in New York
• Carlos Menchaca, New York City Councilmember-elect, CD 38
• Gonzalo Mercado, Executive Director, El Centro Del Inmigrante
• Jeremy Saunders, lead organizer, VOCAL

Sunday, November 17

10:00 – 11:00 AM
Urban Green Council hosts: Sustainable, Healthy, and Resilient Construction 
Information regarding this session will be updated on Talking Transition’s website.

Tuesday November 19

12:30 – 1:30 PM
MAS hosts: Rethinking City Building:  New Priorities for Zoning and Preservation

New York is a city of rapid change known for its innovation, dynamism and industry, yet it continues to use a zoning ordinance developed over 50 years ago to shape its future. The city’s zoning resolution determines where people can live and work, and helps preserve iconic structures like Grand Central and the High Line. It also defines where new buildings can be built and how large they can be while influencing their shape and use. With so much of the city’s livability riding on a single document, isn’t it time to rethink how to best plan for a 21st century New York?

The above sessions have been convened by a number of organizations, including: