Making Cities Resilient New Orleans / Gothenburg Exchange

Ms. Lena Malm, Lord Mayor of the City of Gothenburg was elected Lord Mayor of Gothenburg in April 2012 by the City Council of the City of Gothenburg and was re-elected in 2014. Ms. Malm has been a member of the City Council (Social Democrats) since 1998. As of 2011, she is a member of the Traffic Committee at the City of Gothenburg. In 2014 she was appointed as the Second Deputy Chair of the Public Transport Committee at the Region Västra Götaland. Her political commitment at the Region Västra Götaland also includes a membership in the Regional Council and in the Sustainable Development Advisory Committee as well as being a Deputy Member of the Regional Executive Board.

Ms. Malm was the Chairperson of the District Committee of Lundby 2003-2014. She is a former member of the Environment Committee (1998-2002) and of the Construction and Housing Committee (2007-2010). Furthermore, she was City Political Secretary at the Executive Committee of the City Council 1997-2002, and Region Political Secretary at the Region Västra Götaland 2003-2005.

Professionally, Ms. Malm is a Communications Officer at the Health Secretariat in Gothenburg. She has a university degree in Sociology, Administration, and Media/Communication Science. Ms. Malm is married with one adult daughter.

Mr. Ulf Moback, Head of Delegation is a landscape architect educated at the Swedish Agricultural University in Ultuna and Alnarp. He has been employed by the City of Gothenburg (Göteborg) since 1979 first at the Park Administration where he left as head over planning and building parks and green areas in Gothenburg. 1991 he started at City Planning Authority working at first with detailed plans for the regeneration of the shipyard areas, later with the comprehensive plan for the whole of Gothenburg, ÖP 93, ÖP99 and the current comprehensive plan. Parallel with that he has been working with environment issues like methods for environmental impact studies, nature reserve, storm water treatment, polluted areas etc. During 2 years he was head of strategic planning at City Planning Authority. He has also been involved in EU projects, like Water City international, Pure North Sea and Greenscom as well as Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) projects in South Africa. He is also coordinator of the climate adaptation group of Gothenburg.

Within the framework of Mistra Urban Futures, he was one of the project leaders for the pilot project “A City Structure Adapted to Climate Change: Scenarios for Future Frihamnen” and involved in another research project “Adapting cities to climate induced risks – a coordinated approach”.

Dr. Hans Hansson, PhD, is full professor in Coastal Engineering at Lund University where he has been for almost 40 years. He has worked on contract for US Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS, for almost 30 years. The main focus of this work was the development of computer models for simulation of coastal erosion and flooding. He is the main developer of the GENESIS model and has also, to some extent, been involved in the SBEACH model.

On the more practical side, he has done numerous projects in most coastal municipalities in south Sweden dealing with coastal planning, protection and climate change adaptation. Many of these projects have been done as a part of his part-time employment at the consulting firm Sweco Environment, where he has been working since 1988. He has international project experience from Liberia, Mozambique, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mauritius, Seychelles, USA, Portugal, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Japan and British Guyana.

He is author of more than 230 Technical Reports, Conference Papers, and Journal Articles. He has been invited visiting researcher/professor at: US Army Coastal Engineering Research Center (USA), Texas A & M University (USA), James Cook University (Australia), Ministry of Public Works (Australia), University of Queensland (Australia), Ministry of Public Works (Spain), Universidad de Granada (Spain).

Dr. Anna Jonsson, PhD, Linköping University, is Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Change, Centre for Climate Science and Policy and Research, Linköping University. Dr. Jonsson uses qualitative social science methods to investigate institutional and social aspects of water management and climate adaptation issues in Sweden and abroad. The past 8 years she has been involved in vulnerability and adaptation research with the city of Gothenburg as the study object. She has also been part of developing a Guidebook for Integrated Assessment and Management of Vulnerability to Climate Change based on research in Sweden, Bolivia and India.

Dr Lars Nyberg, PhD in Hydrology, is Associate Professor in Risk Management as well as research leader at the Centre for Climate and Safety at Karlstad University (www.kau.se/ccs). In recent years his research has mainly been focused on natural disasters and climate adaptation. Special focus is on societal vulnerability and how to reduce climate-related risks. He is the leader for several projects and networks, for example as principal investigator for the Centre for Natural Disaster Science (www.cnds.se). He is also the leader for master courses on integrated flood risk management and sustainable development from a safety perspective. As the director for the Centre for Climate and Safety during 2008-2014, Lars Nyberg has initiated and actively contributed to an extensive societal collaboration. He is a member of the Scientific Council at the Swedish Civil Contingency Agency.

Dr. Philip Thörn, PhD, Head of the Policy and Economy Group, Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL). Philip has long experience of working with climate change adaptation and preventing natural disasters. Before joining IVL Philip was working for the Swedish Government’s Commission on Climate and Vulnerability. In recent years Philip has been working with climate change adaptation on the local level, e.g. analyzing how Swedish municipalities can be affected by climate change and natural disasters. Philip was one of the project leaders for the pilot project “A City Structure Adapted to Climate Change: Scenarios for Future Frihamnen”. The project investigated how different climate change adaptations strategies can affect the sustainable development in the urban district of Frihamnen in Gothenburg.

Mr. Mikael Ivari, City of Göteborg, Traffic & Public Transportation Authority, Deputy Head of Traffic Planning Department, has a master’s degree in civil engineering from Chalmers University of Technology and exams in economics and economic statistics from Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law. He has more than 15 years of experience from traffic and land-use planning in a local and regional perspective.

Mr. Johan Jansson, Swedish Transport Administration, Business Area Investments has a master´s degree in Civil Engineering. His work areas include providing large reconstruction works and new investments with technical expertise on dewatering and drainage. His work involves development of the regulatory framework that governs the design of road and rail infrastructure drainage. He has great interest in rain, urban runoff, flooding, extreme weather events and drainage as well as pumping stations.

Dr. Bo Lind, PhD, Associate Professor, Swedish Geotechnical Institute, is an experienced leader of expert organisations and research groups. He has worked within the field of applied geo-science in the built/ developed environment since the late 1970´s. He is responsible for the national planning support to communities regarding geotechnical safety and responsible for the mapping of landslide hazards along the Göta river valley (the most landslide-frequent area in Sweden). He is also working on risk assessments and climate impact on geotechnical safety, such as landslides and severe settlements.

Mr. Lars Westholm, County Administrative Board, Västra Götaland has a MSc in environmental science and have been working with public health and environmental protection for more than 23 years. His experience ranges from drafting policy documents, conducting inspections to environmental monitoring. As an environmental planning officer he prepares the basis for detail or comprehensive plans or setting up projects or monitoring activities. During this work he assesses and performs risk analysis concerning transports and handling of hazardous materials, risk of flooding and environmental health issues. He has also conducted studies in societal risk management and also been a CBRN expert in the national Interagency working group (Transport). As an Associated Field Officer (WASH) at the Field Office in Tyre, Lebanon, for UNHCR, he gained thorough experience in working in a refugee emergency.

As a result of his MSc in Environmental Health and his local management of a European Union project. He has participated internationally in Cyprus, Lebanon, Somalia, Liberia, Kenya and Haiti working within complex environments. He has also completed UN, EU and MSB courses related to risk management.

The Swedish Geotechnical Institute (SGI) is the Swedish governmental authority commissioned to have a coordinative role in reducing the risks of damage caused by erosion along the coast, along rivers and in lakes. Per Danielsson’s work as National Coordinator for Coastal Erosion is focusing on activities aiming to reduce the risk caused by erosion. He is coordinating a network of 9 governmental agencies, all with activities related to erosion along the coast, rivers and lakes. He is responsible for the Coastal meeting arranged annually by SGI, focusing on coastal erosion, coastal management, and how to handle the problems in an integrated way. He is also involved in various research projects; to develop a tool for vulnerability mapping that could be used by coastal managers,  to look into possibilities to use bio-engineering for coastal and river bank protection, to use satellite images and air photos for monitoring coastal morphology and changes. Before joining SGI he has been working as a consultant within the field of integrated coastal zone planning and management, and coastal resources, with working experience from Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Dr. Michael Landzelius, PhD in Conservation of Built Environments, Associate Professor, and Director of the Urban Safety and Societal Security Research Center (URBSEC), Gothenburg University and Chalmers University of Technology. URBSEC offers an interface between academia and practice where needs and problems as experienced by various social actors can be transformed into research projects that involve both technological and social innovation aspects. Researchers from more than a dozen departments are involved in the four Priority Research Areas: Politics and Governance; Communication and Interaction; Infrastructures and Interdependencies; and Sustainability and Resilience. In relation to the Gothenburg-New Orleans collaboration, it might be mentioned that Critical Infrastructure Protection is one field within which the center has prioritized developing European collaboration through applications to the European Union H2020 research program. Dr. Landzelius’ research before taking on leadership for URBSEC was oriented towards Urban Geography with a focus on urban meaning-making and conflicts; he did part of his PhD-studies in Cultural Geography at University of Syracuse, and at University of California, Berkeley; and did also a Postdoc at University of Cambridge, UK. As director of URBSEC, his role is, in short, to manage the center, build networks, initiate projects, and facilitate collaboration between diverse actors. 

Ms. Janet Edwards, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), has a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of California in Los Angeles and a master’s degree in geography from California State University. She has worked with risk management issues in Sweden since 1995. As the international coordinator for the Swedish National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, she promotes various types of international exchanges. She leads the UNISDR Making Cities Resilient campaign in Sweden and has experience with risk management tools and methods including geographic information systems.

Ms. Åsa Fritzon, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), has a master´s degree in political science and international relations from Södertörn University College. She works as a research coordinator at MSB´s Research Management Section as Program Advisor to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology agreement and as expert to the Programme Committee for Secure Societies within the EU Research and Innovation programme Horizon 2020.

William Gilchrist is Director of Place-Based Planning for the City of New Orleans overseeing the administration’s initiatives in planning and urban design. Prior to this appointment, he directed the urban design studio in the Atlanta office of EDAW/AECOM, having served previously as the Director of the Department of Planning, Engineering, and Permits for Birmingham, AL, where the work of his department was recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Planning Association (APA), and the National League of Cities He has developed local community plans throughout the US, taught the APA course on urban design for AICP continuing education, and worked internationally in establishing planning processes in Romania and Ukraine.

He has served on advisory committees to MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, and Auburn University. An advocate for the quality of the public realm, he is a former member of the board of the National Association of Olmsted Parks. Bill served on the Executive Committee of the Urban Land Institute, and chaired ULI’s Public/Private Partnership Council. He is a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects and was first Chair of the AIA Committee on Design Assistance overseeing the AIA Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT) and Sustainable Design Assessment Team. He is an alumnus of MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning and Alfred P. Sloan School of Management, as well as Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

The City’s Hazard Mitigation Office was created in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in order to guide the City in its new philosophy of building a resilient future. Brad has been with the City of New Orleans since 2008 and has been in his current position since 2009. As one of the two branches of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Mr. Case is responsible for leading the planning process to formulate the City’s policies toward reduction of risk from natural and manmade hazards and for implementation of these policies throughout the city.

Past efforts of the mitigation office have resulted in numerous major changes in how the City recovers from Hurricane Katrina while avoiding similar disasters, as well as how the City develops for its future in a changing risk environment. One example of a change spearheaded by the office has been establishing a permanent internal capacity to develop projects and initiatives for the changing risk environment. This included increasing floodplain managers on staff from zero to over ten and establishing a dedicated office for floodplain administration, which is now responsible for maintaining the City’s participation in the NFIP. Current initiatives include continued administration of hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA mitigation grant programs. These programs include risk reduction measures for infrastructure and private property as well as outreach projects to advance of the awareness of mitigation concepts and practices for communities, businesses, and individuals. The mitigation office has sought since its inception to adapt the external public conversation and internal bureaucratic processes from a reactionary, wait-and-see approach relying purely on response to a proactive and innovative culture of resilience.

Ms. Kane was appointed by Mayor Mitchell J. Landrieu and approved by the New Orleans City Council to repsresent Council District C as a member of the Board of Directors of the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans in July 2012. She is also a board member of the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, serving as their vice president and legal committee chair.

Kerri practices law in the areas of pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, products liability, and casualty. She also has extensive experience in complex document reviews and productions. Kerri is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, the New Orleans Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Association. She is admitted to practice before all Louisiana state courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts.

Kerri received a B.A. (2000) from Louisiana State University, where she majored in Political Science and Psychology. She received her J.D. (2004) from Loyola University School of Law, where she graduated cum laude. While at Loyola, Kerri worked as the Substance and Citation Editor of the Loyola Maritime Law Journal, was a member of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, and received the Civil Law Donations and Trusts Excellence Award.

Kerri was named a 2013 Woman of the Year by New Orleans CityBusiness. She was among the 50 honorees selected based on her professional and community contributions to the New Orleans area.

Michelle Annette Meyer is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Louisiana State University. She is a current Fellow in the Next Generation of Hazard and Disasters Researchers Program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Her research and teaching interests include disaster resilience and mitigation, climate change displacement, environmental sociology and community sustainability, quantitative and qualitative research methods, and the interplay between environmental conditions and social vulnerability. She has worked on a variety of projects related to disasters and environmental sociology, such as analyzing organizational networks in long-term recovery for six communities; comparing disaster recovery between small towns affected by technological and natural disasters; an electronic survey about hazard mitigation policies and practices in Atlantic and Gulf Coast jurisdictions; understanding hurricane risk perception along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic Coasts; analyzing the inclusion of disability in emergency management planning; studying the implementation of energy efficiency practices in local communities; analyzing social capital and collective efficacy for individual and community resilience and social vulnerability in hurricane-prone communities; among others. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National PERISHIP Dissertation Fellowship, Midwest Sociological Society, and the Rural Sociological Society. She completed a Ph.D. in Sociology at Colorado State University, and a BA in Sociology from Murray State University.

Brant Mitchell currently serves as the Director of Research and Operations of the Stephenson Disaster Management Institute (SDMI) at Louisiana State University. Prior to joining SDMI Brant worked for the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness as the Deputy Director for Management, Finance and Interoperability. From July 2008 through February 2012 Brant served as the Chairman of the Statewide Interoperability Executive Council (SIEC), which is responsible for providing governance of the Louisiana Wireless Information Network (LWIN), one of the nation’s first statewide digital 700 MHz radio systems. Today LWIN is the largest digital radio system in the country providing voice communications to over 70,000 users across the State. In 2011, Brant was selected as a member of the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety Advisory Committee for the Emergency Response Interoperability Committee in which he assisted in developing technical specifications for the eventual nationwide build out of a broadband network. Brant is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves where he is assigned to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Cyber and Communication Integration Center as an operations officer. He is a recipient of the Bronze Star and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom where he commanded an Infantry company in Baghdad, Iraq. Brant received his Master’s in Public Administration from LSU and is currently pursuing his PhD in Geography.

Dr. John Pardue is the Elizabeth Howell Stewart Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Louisiana State University. He directs the Hazardous Substance Research Center at LSU. Dr. Pardue’s research group investigates the fate and transport of chemicals in the environment focused primarily on chemicals in wetlands and aquatic systems, environmental impacts of disasters and shoreline restoration techniques. Currently he is performing research on the fate and remediation options for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Louisiana marshes and barrier islands. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers and conducted research for federal agencies such as EPA, NSF, NOAA, and DOD. His research has led to development of a number of innovative technologies including the sustainable constructed wetland approach for treating contaminated groundwater. His group published the first peer-reviewed scientific paper on Hurricane Katrina (Pardue, J.H., W.M. Moe, D. McInnis, L.J. Thibodeaux, K.T. Valsaraj, E. Maciasz, I. van Heerden, N. Korevec and Q.Z. Yuan. 2005. Chemical and microbiological parameters in New Orleans floodwater following Hurricane Katrina. Environ. Sci. Technol. 39:8591 – 8599). In addition, his research group works closely with international collaborators including the Environmental Engineering program at UCLAS at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, West Africa providing research opportunities for future faculty and working to further development of the environmental engineering in developing areas.

As Stormwater Manager for the City of New Orleans, Prisca Weems holds an inter-agency role focused on co-ordinating and implementing green infrastructure and other stormwater related projects. This role includes the development of progressive policy, financing mechanisms, and partnerships to support catalytic projects across Orleans Parish. Prisca holds a MArch from Tulane University School of Architecture, an MSc in Advanced Environmental and Energy Sciences from the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales/University of East London, and has been working in the sustainable development arena since 1997.

Ms. Wilson has been employed by the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans since November 2012. Prior to her employment with the SWBNO, Ms. Wilson was the Superintendent of Environmental Services for the City of Alexandria for 25 years. Responsibilities with the Sewerage and Water Board include overseeing environmental compliance for the Board’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Permit, Pump and Power operation with Title V Air Permit, Drainage Pump Stations Emergency Engine Air Permits, East and West Bank Sewer Treatment Plants’ LPDES Permits, Pretreatment Program, Risk Management Plans for Ammonia and Chlorine storage and Underground Storage Tanks compliance.

Ms. Wilson is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Technology. Ann is a Class 4 Wastewater and Water Operator and Level A Solid Waste Operator in the area of incineration of biosolids.

Ms. Wilson is a former board member of Keep Louisiana Beautiful has received several national and state awards with her work with Keep America Beautiful and Keep Louisiana Beautiful, including the Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson Award and the President Bush Volunteer Service Award. Since moving to New Orleans, Ann has become active with Keep New Orleans Beautiful.

Ms. Wilson is interested in how other communities educate and engage the public about green infrastructure and how the private and commercial customers can incorporate these concepts on their private property.

Brian Wolshon, Ph.D. P.E., PTOE, is the Edward A. and Karen Wax Schmitt Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering at Louisiana State University and the founding Director of the Gulf Coast Research Center for Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency. His teaching and research activities encompass a range of areas related to highway design, safety, and traffic operations – most notably the planning, design, operation, and management of transportation systems for emergency and major event conditions. In 2001, Dr. Wolshon founded and has since chaired Transportation Research Board of the National Academies Task Force on Emergency Evacuation.  He has authored numerous federal reports related to evacuation planning and engineering and served as an expert consultant to dozens of federal, state, and local government agencies; national laboratories; and engineering firms throughout the United States.  He also been interviewed by more the 100 media outlets including The Discovery Channel, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News, NPR, The New York Times, USA Today, and the Times of London among many others.

Karim Belhadjali specializes in the long-term planning of complex coastal ecosystem restoration and storm flood risk reduction projects, in adaptation to various scenarios of climate change. He is the program manager for the preparation of the State of Louisiana’s Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast. The master plan identifies specific projects and policies to be implemented over 50 years, to increase the resilience of coastal communities and ecosystem over the coming decades. Karim also directs the research program within CPRA, to address critical knowledge gaps, develop and improve comprehensive, integrated conceptual and forecasting models; and develop tools and data to support technical assessment of program and project performance against integrated objectives and goals. He has been engaged with the state’s coastal restoration and protection program since 2000, serving as the lead ecologist for the state on a dozen large scale wetland restoration projects constructed with federal partners. Prior to his current position, he served in the US Peace Corps as the Marine Fisheries Advisor to the government of Tuvalu, Central Pacific. He formulated fisheries policy including regulatory reform and fisheries management plans, to protect and conserve the marine resources of Tuvalu.

Dr. Monica Farris is an Associate Professor-Research and the Director of the Center for Hazards Assessment, Response and Technology (CHART) at The University of New Orleans (UNO).  She earned her MA degree from Louisiana State University and PhD degree from the University of New Orleans, both in Political Science, the latter with a public administration/public policy specialization.  Her current applied research includes the examination of local repetitive flood loss data to assist communities in the identification of appropriate mitigation strategies and education and outreach focusing on mitigation.  She currently serves as principal investigator for the UNO Disaster Resistant University Project.  Dr. Farris has published on the subject of building internal capacity for disaster resilience and has presented multiple times on hazard risk reduction and disaster planning.  She is also recognized as a Certified Floodplain Manager by the Association of State Floodplain Managers.

John is a Senior Visiting Research Associate at the Transport Studies Unit, which is part of the School of Geography and the Environment (SoGE) at the University of Oxford. He is also the Director of the Merritt C. Becker Jr. Transportation Institute and Associate Professor of Planning and Urban Studies at the University of New Orleans, USA. John is also the Managing Director of The TOD Group, a private real estate investment, development and consultancy firm based in the United States.John's research focuses on sustainable transport, land use and transportation planning with a focus on transit-oriented development, travel behaviour and emergency transportation planning for vulnerable populations. He has co-edited two books, including Transport Beyond Oil: Policy choices for a multimodal future (Island Press, 2013) and Transit Oriented Development: Making it happen (Ashgate, 2009). John was appointed as a Senior Visiting Research Associate at TSU in 2013. He has worked at the University of New Orleans since 2005 and has been involved in promoting sustainable transport in the recovery of the city following Hurricane Katrina that same year. He is the Chair of the New Orleans Sustainable Transportation Advisory Committee to the City Council and he served as Vice President of Bike Easy, New Orleans' bicycle advocacy non-profit organization. John has been invited to speak about sustainable transport and transit-oriented development by President Bill Clinton and U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, respectively.

Frank is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Meteorology. Nearly all of his 35 year career with the National Weather Service has been in coastal areas of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. He began his full-time career with the National Weather Service at the Weather Forecast Office in Miami, Fl. Frank was a forecaster and lead forecaster at the New Orleans Area – Weather Forecast Office in Slidell from 1986 thru 1994, and has been in his current position as Warning Coordination Meteorologist since 1994. Frank’s primary job responsibility is working with local, state and federal emergency management agencies in southeast Louisiana and south Mississippi assisting them in hazardous weather preparedness. He is actively involved in briefings to state and local emergency managers during tropical storm and hurricane threats to Louisiana and Mississippi.