Date: Feb 27, 2013

Conference to Address Recovery Preparedness in the Wake of Superstorm Sandy Devastation

Experts to discuss sustainability issues facing vulnerable suburban areas.

Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. – Hofstra University will host an interdisciplinary conference bringing together scholars, activists and practitioners from around the world to explore how to create more sustainable communities in densely populated regions, beginning with the suburbs.

“From the Outside In: Sustainable Futures for Global Cities and Suburbs” will be held March 7 – March 9, 2013 and devote a full day – March 9 – to the effects of Super Storm Sandy and the importance of protecting metropolitan regions and their vulnerable suburbs from the next natural disaster. Leading experts, first responders, and public officials will share their firsthand experiences with the storm. The conference is sponsored by the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, the new Sustainability Studies Program, and the Hofstra Cultural Center in partnership with the Center for Sustainable Urban Development at the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the Center for the Sustainable Built Environment at New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate, A.E.C.O.M.(  a global provider of professional technical and management support services), RXR Realty, Patrick Dolan, and Robert B. Catell.
“With all the demographic, economic and other changes in suburbia, it grows increasingly important by the day to create more sustainable communities and services.” said Lawrence Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University.  “Our future depends on it, and at this conference we can learn not just from the experiences of Long Islanders but experts from around the world.”

Dr. Robert Brinkmann, director of the Sustainability program at Hofstra, said: "Superstorm Sandy provides an opportunity for our region to have a conversation around how to make our region more sustainable and resilient to future storms and the impacts of global climate change."

The conference welcomes numerous well-known figures including Burrell Montz, chair of the Department of Geography at East Carolina University, a leading expert on hurricanes and hazard management who has done extensive work on the impact of hurricanes on suburban communities.

“The complexity of sustainability in and around urban areas is clearly illustrated when hurricanes, nor'easters, and other severe storms are forecast. Patterns of both risk and vulnerability must be recognized so that appropriate resources for preparation and response can be in place if and when needed.” said Montz.  “Given the uncertainties inherent in the timing, intensity, and location of impacts, managing sustainability in urban and suburban areas becomes increasingly difficult, as Sandy is clearly illustrating. From the Outside In provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on these issues, as they fit into the larger context of sustainable communities.”

In addition to Montz, some of the key speakers include Robert Bullard, dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University, and William Fulton, vice president for policy and programs at Smart Growth America, and former mayor of Ventura, California.

For more information visit From the Outside In's website.

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Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution of higher education where more than 11,000 full and part-time students choose from undergraduate and graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business, engineering, applied science, communication, education, health sciences and human services, honors studies, the Maurice A. Deane School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.