NUS Cities Lecture Series 09
As the world is facing an increase in climate change, biodiversity loss, income inequality and racist populism Jonathan Rose, in his book “The Well Tempered City” proposes a pathway for cities to become the islands of coherence that could help shift societies to greater wellbeing. The seeds of this urban order grow from many places – in biology and evolution, in physics and quantum mechanics, in religion and philosophy, in psychology and ecology, in the histories of cities long gone, and in cites now emerging.
Today’s cities are technical marvels, reflecting civilizations’ enormous scientific strides and human creativity. They have succeeded in producing unimagined power and prosperity, although not well distributed. The goal of the book, and this lecture, is to knit these threads – our technical and social potential and the generative power of nature – back together towards a higher purpose for cities. In times of increasing complexity, volatility and ambiguity, the well-tempered city has systems in place, that can help it evolve towards a more even temperament, one that could balance prosperity and well-being, with efficiency and equality in ways that continually restores the city’s social and natural capital.
The talk will explore the five key principles, each contributing to a comprehensive framework for creating sustainable, resilient, and thriving urban environments. These principles will be elaborated through projects and plans that range from developing nations such as Thimphu, Bhutan to developed cities such as Singapore and New York.
Jonathan F.P. Rose’s business, public policy, teaching, research, writing and not-for-profit work focuses on creating more environmentally, socially and economically resilient cities.
In 1989, Mr. Rose founded Jonathan Rose Companies LLC, a multi-disciplinary real estate development and investment firm, to address the challenges of the poor distribution of opportunity through the development of affordable and mixed-income housing. Jonathan has led the firm’s vision, strategy and growth, developing award winning new projects, investment funds and city plans that model solutions to address the issues of community development, opportunity, inequality and the environment. The firm is one of the largest acquirers of affordable and mixed income housing in the nation.
The firm’s innovative work has won awards from a wide range of notable organizations including: The Urban Land Institute, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Architects. Mr. Rose was selected as Winner of the 2021 ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development.
Mr. Rose’s book on how to create resilient cities, “The Well-Tempered City: What Modern Science, Ancient Civilizations and Human Nature Teach Us About the Future of Urban Life” was published by Harper Wave in 2016, and won the 2017 PROSE Award for Outstanding Scholarly Work by a Trade Publisher.
Mr. Rose and his wife Diana Calthorpe Rose are the co-founders of the Garrison Institute and he serves as Chair on its Board. The Institute connects inner transformation with outer solutions to relieve suffering in the fields of trauma, education and the environment. Mr. Rose graduated from Yale University in 1974 with a B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy, and received a Master’s in Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980.
Date: 23rd Jan 2024, Tuesday via Zoom Webinar
Time: 8:00 p.m. SGT - 9:30 p.m. SGT
Lecture by Mr. Jonathan Rose
Moderated Q & A Session with Moderator Mr. Anupam Yog, Managing Partner of XDG Labs and founder of MIRA
NUS Cities Lecture Series investigates ideas, policies and projects developed by urban experts, which aspire to create sustainable, resilient, and liveable cities.