EULiST Symposium on Climate Resilience – Leibniz University Hannover

The challenges of climate change transcend borders, and so must the efforts to address them. The climate resilience of our cities goes beyond reactive adaptation to the consequences of climate change, such as heatwaves, flooding, or other catastrophic events, and requires us to proactively prepare for the future resilience of urban spaces, structures, and societies. Achieving climate neutrality in cities demands intervention and innovation in key areas, including buildings, mobility, and production. To drive the transformation necessary for cities to become climate-resilient and climate-neutral, we must explore new ways of integrating society and technology.

With this event, Leibniz University Hannover, in collaboration with its partners in the university alliance EULiST, the state capital Hannover, and the cities of the partner universities, seeks to explore how climate-resilient and climate-neutral cities and universities can be planned and designed — ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.

Monday, 2 December 2024

09:00 - 09:30	Registration and welcome coffee
09:30 - 10:00	Opening Prof. Dr. Volker Epping, President of Leibniz University Hannover Belit Onay, Mayor and CEO of Hannover
10:00 - 12:00	Keynote speeches Speaker introductions: Theda Minthe, Head of Science City Department, Office of the Mayor of Hannover, and Stephen Sechrist, EULiST Local Coordinator, LUH Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Jörg Schröder, Anna Pape, LUH: “Urban transformation to climate neutrality, Circular Design, 15 Minutes City” Anja Ritschel, Head of Economic and Environmental Affairs City of Hanover Nikos Chrysogelos, Deputy Mayor of Athens for Climate Governance and Social Economy: “Adaptation of the city of Athens to the challenges of climate change” Dr. Johannes Lutter, Director, International and Strategic Partnerships, urban innovation vienna: "Smart Climate City Strategy – Vienna’s strategic approach to sustainable development"
12:00 - 13:00	Lunch break / lunch buffet
13:15 - 15:00	Parallel sessions: Insight into practice: Exchange on strategies, successes and stumbling blocks Climate-resilient measures in cities - sustainable urban planning, mobility and health prevention for resilient cities "Hannover: Heat, drought and heavy rain - successful cooperation between the city and Leibniz University" (video intro), Ann-Christin Jolk, Department of Environment and Urban Greenery, city administration of the state capital Hannover and project partner of LUH Prof. Irene Koronaki, Prof. Sotirios Karellas, Prof. Eleni Alexandrou (NTUA): "Are positive energy and climate adaptive buildings the backbone of sustainable communities?" Dr. Saskia Buchholz (DWD): "From research to practice: Overcoming barriers in the transition to operational climate services for urban areas" Digitalisation for sustainability Sebastian Harnaker (TUW): "Urban Heat Stories: Tackling the social dimensions of urban heat through Citizen Science“ Tim Gerstenberger (City of Hannover): "Restart: #HANnovativ - transform smart" Jonas Koche (LUH): "DINAMO: Digitalisation for sustainable mobility"
15:00 - 15:45	Coffee break and networking (optional campus tour)
15:45 - 16:45	Demonstrators in action Lorena Fiorini, Nicole Pascucci (UnivAq): "Smart cities and nature: urban configurations and multispectral imaging for climate adaptation strategies. The case of the city of L'Aquila, Italy." Pierre Monteyne (LUH): "Modeling Urban Microclimate: High-resolution turbulence resolving simulations of cities with PALM."
17:00 - 18:30	Networking reception / Informal discussions over appetizers
	Optional evening event: Visit to Hannover Christmas Market, Old Town (closes at 21:00)

Tuesday, 3 December 2024

09:00 - 10:00	Workshop on funding opportunities, presented by the EU Funding Office: Nina McGuiness (EU Funding Office , LUH) Licia Biotti (Office for International Affairs, EU Funding Programmes - City of Hannover)
10:00 - 10:30	Coffee break
10:30 - 12:00	Roundtable discussion and conclusions: “The role of universities in promoting climate resilience and climate neutrality” - discussion with representatives of the participating universities. Moderation: Dr. Stephanie Mittrach (LUH) Prof. Dr. Katharina Wittich (LUH) Prof. Eleni Alexandrou, Prof. Irene Koronaki, Prof. Sotirios Karellas (NTUA): “Educating the new generation to confront the climate crisis challenges: From Campus to urban environment.” Summary of key findings and discussion results.
12:00	Concluding statement by Prof. Regina Nogueira (Vice president for International Affairs and Sustainability, LUH): Outlook on future opportunities for cooperation