The University of Washington’s College of the Built Environment, College of Engineering, College of the Environment and UW Tacoma Urban Studies have signed the Educators Commitment on Resilient Design. The White House invited schools of engineering, architecture, urban planning, construction, and other design disciplines to sign on to the effort, pledging to train and inspire students who will build resilience to natural hazards and the impacts of climate change.
The commitment text is below:
We envision a future where our homes, schools, workplaces, and communities are resilient to extreme weather events and can adapt to the impacts of climate change. Making this future a reality will require a focus on resilient design across disciplines. Students who will lead the planning, design, engineering, development, construction, and retrofit of homes, buildings, and infrastructure must be prepared to build for resilience, both now and into the foreseeable future. We commit to:
- Inspiring and training the next generation of architecture, engineering, urban planning, and construction professionals to innovate and effectively address resilience to extreme weather events and climate change;
- Connecting students and professionals with best-available science on the growing risks posed by extreme weather events and climate change;
- Fostering interdisciplinary settings for students to develop the employable skills and professional networks needed to support resilient design; and
- Pursuing life-long learning opportunities to continually advance our understanding of how to design and build for a resilient future.
Sincerely,
John Schaufelberger, Dean, College of the Built Environment
Michael Bragg, Dean, College of Engineering
Lisa Graumlich, Dean, College of the Environment
Ali Modarres, Director and Professor, Urban Studies, UW Tacoma