HUB EVENT: Day 5: Urban Development
Over half of the global population now lives in cities, which are responsible for approximately 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As urban areas continue to grow, they must evolve to reduce their environmental impact and become more resilient to future challenges.
Join industry experts for an inspiring day focused on how cities across the globe are driving innovation, reducing carbon footprints, and planning for a more sustainable future.
Key topics for the day include:
Greening Construction Materials: Advancing sustainable building practices.
Smart Cities of the Future: Planning and designing urban areas that are efficient, connected, and climate-resilient.
Inter-City Collaboration: Building momentum and sharing solutions across urban centers.
Proven Urban Solutions: Strategies that address the biggest challenges facing cities today.
A Few (of the many) Confirmed Speakers:
William McDonough, Author of Cradle to Cradle
Illya Azaroff, Incoming Board Chair for the American Institute of Architects
Dan Tangherlini, Managing Director at Emerson Collective
Vanessa Bertelli, Executive Director at ElectrifyDC
Tom Skinner, CEO of RedBrick Partners
Since the venue has limited seating, tickets will be given through a lottery system. If you've been accepted to join us at this DC Climate Week's hub location, you will be notified by April 22nd.
Day 5 Agenda
9:30AM – 10:00AM | Registration & Networking
10:00AM – 10:20AM | Welcome
10:20AM – 10:40AM | Opening Keynote with William McDonough, AIA, Time100
10:45AM – 11:30AM | Regenerative Building: Mass Timber Spotlight
This panel explores the revolutionary potential of mass timber as an alternative building material that connects urban development to sustainable forestry practices. The discussion will cover design innovations, regulatory frameworks, and how this renewable resource can create carbon-negative structures while supporting rural economies and habitat restoration.
Speakers:
Dan Tangherlini - MD, Emerson Collective (Moderator)
Jason Wright - Principal & Director of Technical Operations at Hickok Cole
Jaspreet Pahwa - Director of Capital Planning & Construction at DC Public Library
Brian Hanlon - Director of DC Department of Buildings
11:30AM – 11:45AM | Networking Coffee Break
10:45AM – 12:30PM | Smart City Planning
This session examines how smart city planning can help build more green, resilient and inclusive urban futures. The discussion will explore how innovative approaches in — electrification, mobility, land use planning, and public realm design— shape cities that are healthy, vibrant, connected, and affordable for all.
Speakers:
Vanessa Bertelli, Executive Director, ElectrifyDC
Felipe Ramirez, Global Mobility Director at WRI
Edgar Westerhof Vice President, Climate Adaptation Solutions, Arcadis
Earl Eustler, Associate Director/State Forester, DDOT Urban Forestry Division
Smita Rawoot, Moderator
12:30PM – 1:30PM | Lunch
12:30PM – 1:55PM | DMV Startup Spotlight
Lex Kiefhaber, Haddy
Alison Cohen, Bicycle Transit Systems
Jane Chen, CEO and Cofounder, Stepwise Electric
1:55PM – 2:00PM | Afternoon Stretch Break
2:00PM – 2:45PM | Decarbonizing Our Buildings: The Right Stuff: Greening Construction Materials
This panel examines strategies for reducing embodied carbon in construction materials and advancing circular economy principles in building design. Discussion will cover alternatives to carbon-intensive materials, opportunities for material reuse and recycling, and how these approaches can scale across residential and commercial applications.
Speakers:
Tom Skinner, CEO RedBrick Partners
David Antonioli Global Emissionairy
Theresa Backhus - Building Innovation Hub / IMT
Jetta Wong, JLW Advising
2:45PM – 3:00PM | Coffee Break
3:00PM – 3:30PM | Lightning Round Talks: Case Studies From the Frontlines of Urban Development in DC
A Future-Proof Destination: Tourism’s Role in Making DC More Resilient, Shelby Luzzi (Senior Sustainability Manager, Senior Sustainability Manager) and Erin Garnaas-Holmes (Lead, Climate Ready DC, District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment)
Melinda Peters, Director of Education, Casey Trees
Christian Calleri - Perkins Eastman - AIA DC member
3:30 EST | Resilient Military Bases: Designing for Climate Risks, Energy Security and Extreme Weather
Sherri Goodman - Author, Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security
3:45PM – 4:15PM | Resilient Cities: Designing for Climate Shocks & Extreme Weather
This forward-looking session explores how cities can build infrastructure that withstands and adapts to climate-related disasters and extreme weather events. The discussion will cover nature-based solutions, policy frameworks, and strategies to protect vulnerable communities from increasing climate risks.
Speakers:
Anjali Mahadevia, DC Climate Week Co-Chair of Programming – Moderator
Victoria Salinas, Former Deputy Administrator for Resilience, FEMA
Illya Azaroff, AIA National 2025-26 President-Elect, COP 29 Delegation Chair
4:15PM – 5:00PM | The Regenerative Roadshow
A living keynote. A movement in motion. A performance for the planet.
Fresh off its acclaimed debut at Davos—hailed as “the most inspiring keynote in climate or sustainability ever!”—the Regenerative Roadshow is coming to Washington, DC to close out Climate Week 2025 with a uniquely immersive performance that fuses art, science, systems change, and storytelling.
This is not another panel.
This is not another keynote.
This is a collaborative, multi-sensory experience of what it means to create a regenerative future.
Through spoken word, systems thinking, indigenous wisdom, and grounded dialogue, the Roadshow invites audiences to imagine—and activate—a world that works for all life.
Featured Troupe – DC Edition
David Karabelnikoff: Indigenous advocate, poet, and community leader from Alaska, uplifting ancestral solutions and justice-based regeneration.
Chad Frischmann: CEO of RegenIntel and creator of Project Drawdown, systems thinker advancing planet-positive solutions.
Michael Ketigian (aka inverseK): Engineer-turned-artist transforming climate science into lyrical, emotional truth through spoken word and rap.
Jessica Groopman: Tech futurist and systems strategist exploring the intersection of emerging technology and regenerative design.
Dr. Mamta Mehra: Agroecologist and climate solutions expert championing nature-based systems and traditional knowledge.
5:15PM – 5:30PM | Closing Ceremony
5:30PM | Closing Happy Hour Reception & Exhibition
The speakers and organizations participating during the DC Climate Week event do not represent the views of the event space hosts or DC Climate Week.