Climate change’s effects are already being realized globally and across the US–including in Washington State. These effects manifest in specific events like the recent wildfires in Okanogan and Douglas Counties and in longer-term, chronic changes like the Pacific Northwest’s heat wave last summer and slow-onset sea-level rise along the coast. All these effects are making some places less habitable, forcing residents to leave temporarily or, in some cases, permanently. But where do they go and how? What awaits them as they evacuate, move, or migrate? Are there programs or policies in place to provide support and protection?

The UW Department of Urban Design and Planning ‘s Professionals Council is pleased to present an evening with Dr. Carlos Martín, Rubenstein Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Director of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies to talk about current and future climate displacement.

THIS EVENT WILL BE VIA ZOOM WEBINAR

During the lecture Dr. Martín will address:

• current and future climate exposures that might lead to displacement;
• the catalysts for displacement that occur when exposures are realized;
• the geospatial patterns for displaced households;
• gaps in current local and federal policies to address displacement both in the “source” and “receiving” communities;
• the experiences of displaced households with regard to their individual needs and the landscape of public, private, and civil services available to meet them;
• how communities can begin discussions about where and what they value in order to make humane, equitable, and sound decisions about future dislocation.

Dr. Martín will be joined by a panel to discuss how these issues manifest themselves in our State and the Puget Sound region. Panelists include:

• Kevin Zerbe, Washington Department of Emergency Management
• Lara Whitely Binder, King County Climate Preparedness Program Manager
• Alberto Rodriguez, City of Seattle, Office of Sustainability and Environment Duwamish Valley Advisor

Trained as an architect, construction engineer, and historian of technology, Dr. Martín is a David M. Rubenstein Fellow at the Brookings Institution  in Washington DC, and Director of the Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.  In this role and his prior appointment at the Urban Institute, Dr. Martín continues to lead research on climate adaptation, environmental governance, and their relationship with real estate and housing development. He recently conducted extensive studies on disaster recovery and climate displacement.