Extreme Heat and Real Estate
Event Synopsis
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Rising temperatures and heat waves – influenced by climate change and urban development patterns – are an increasingly urgent problem affecting cities and communities across the world, even those with historically cooler climates. Climate projections demonstrate that temperatures are rising, especially in urban areas that experience the urban heat island effect, putting real estate assets, infrastructure, public health, and economies at risk.
Real estate developers and policymakers increasingly acknowledge the consequences of extreme heat and are seeking solutions to make communities more adaptable to environmental conditions and comfortable for occupants. At the same time, local governments are responding to the issue with land use and building regulations, social services, urban greening programs, and by using new technologies to better understand urban heat dynamics and act accordingly. About the Speakers PANELLIST Billy Grayson is the executive director for the ULI’s Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance, managing a team leading programmes on climate risk and resilience, health and wellness, and building energy and environmental performance. He has over a decade of experience leading energy and sustainability initiatives in real estate, distribution, and supply chain operations. As sustainability director at Liberty Property Trust, he led a 700-building initiative that included green building construction, energy efficiency retrofits, and sustainability-focused property management strategies and tenant engagement. Grayson holds an MBA and a master’s of public policy from the University of Maryland, and a bachelor’s degree in environment, economics, and politics from Claremont McKenna College. He is a LEED AP and former board member of the Delaware Green Building Council and NAREIT Sustainability Advisory Committee. MODERATOR Ms Esther An joined CDL in 1995 to establish the Company’s Corporate Communications department and subsequently CDL’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) portfolio. She has been instrumental in building up CDL’s leadership in sustainability. A forerunner in CSR and a member of the management committee of Global Compact Network Singapore since 2005, she also sits on board the Corporate Advisory Board of World Green Building Council. A founding member of the Singapore Business Council for Sustainable Development, she is a signatory of the UN Caring for Climate initiative and a member of the Urban Land Institute Women’s Leadership Initiative Singapore Steering Committee. Her latest appointment includes the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Finance Initiative Investor Work Group. |
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