Sustaining the Urban Environment @ UC

Create Opportunity

The University of Cincinnati and its affiliates represent one of the major economic engines for the city of Cincinnati. As a research intensive university with an eye towards creativity, UC is partnering with the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Region to improve the health and wealth of our citizens. SUE is a major player at the table for these discussions.

Below we've highlighted some of the opportunities in sustainability for Cincinnati and around the globe as well as and opportunities provided by SUE.

• Seminars in Spring 2009
• Seminars in Winter 2009
• Conference in Autumn 2008
• Conference in Spring 2008
• Resources to learn about sustainability at UC's library
• Cincinnati as a hot bed of creativity
• Forecast for jobs in sustainability

Ten weekly seminars were sponsored by SUE in the Spring term of 2009 with speakers ranging from UC's own professor of landscape architecture, Jennie Russell, speaking about green roofs to Jack McAneny, associate director of global sustainability for Procter and Gamble. A detailed description of all of the talks is available. Back to top.

Ten weekly seminars were sponsored by SUE in the Winter term of 2009 with speakers ranging from Councilwoman Roxanne Qualls speaking about form-based codes to UC's own professor of epidemiology, Kim Dietrich, speaking on the legacy of lead poisining using Cincinnati as a case study. A detailed description of all of the talks is available. Back to top.

In the autumn of 2008, SUE sponsored a campus-wide research symposium on sustainability in the urban environment entitled, "Celebrating Sustainability". The Center plans to sponsor annual research symposium on campus for faculty, students, and the public to learn more about the activities in sustainability underway at the University. Back to top.

SUE sponsored the 2008 annual meeting of the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers. The conference included a focus on sustainability with speakers on transportation and green infrastructure and workshopes explaining LEED buildings, the ethics of sustainability, and health consequences of sustainability in the urban environment. Attended by more than 150 professional engineers from across the State of Ohio, the conference was successful, and it highlighted the leadership role of SUE for the region, state, and nation. Back to top.

The University of Cincinnati Libraries has provided an on-line resource to learn about Sustainable Engineering. Listings include: books and conference proceedings; handbooks, encyclopedias, and bibliographies; databases; journals; patents; standards; and professional societies. Take a moment to check out the site (its free and open to the public). Back to top.

Some may ask why Cincinnati is such as hot bed of creativity? The answer lies in a combination of our triple bottom line (financial, human, and natural captial) as well as the quality of our nearest neighbors in Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Lexington. According to Dr. Kevin Stolarik at Carnegie Mellon University, a 'heat map' of creativity based upon the indices of Creative Cities developed by Dr. Richard Florida and co-workers suggests that Cincinnati is both quantitatively and qualitatively a 'place to be'. The figure below shows the creative heat generated across the US; note the intensity centered around Cincinnati. For more details, check out: Richard Florida's blog. Back to top.

Some may ask why sustainability and the environment offer such hot job prospects? The answer lies in the emergence of global awareness that spaceship Earth has a limited supply of resources, and global citizens are consuming those resources at an increasing rate. According to Fortune Maganize, environmental engineering and related fields - which clearly include Sustaining the Urban Environment - show tremendous growth prospects for global employment throughout the next decade and beyond. For more details, check out the article in the 21 March, 2005 edition of Fortune Magazine. Back to top.

Questions? Contact Center for Sustaining the Urban Environment.
Room 765 Baldwin Hall; P.O. Box 210071
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0071, USA
(513) 556-3685; (513) 556-2599 (fax)

Copyright Information © University of Cincinnati. 2009