Wednesday, November 15th

Welcome Reception 6pm-9pm

Please join us for a welcome reception at the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Rivera Court from 6pm-9pm.  Remarks will begin at 7pm.  Food and beverages served throughout the evening.

• Karen Donfried, President, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
• Alexis Wiley, Chief of Staff, City of Detroit
• Nora Sarasola, General Director, Bilbao

Thursday, November 16th

Plenary Session 9am-12:30pm
Location: Garden Theater

Transatlantic cities can be a new driver of transatlantic relations through shared dialogue and action toward an agenda that reflects our shared transatlantic values – a commitment to democracy, justice, and freedom.  As more national governments on both sides of the Atlantic are turning inwards, transatlantic cities and regions are reaching out beyond their borders to cooperate and apply these values to concrete issues – protecting the climate, increasing economic opportunity, protecting human rights, spurring innovation.  While there is a unique opportunity for cities to play a more prominent role on the global stage, there is still a great urgency to respond to challenges at home and deliver on local agendas.  This panel discussion will set the current state of transatlantic relations in the context of “main street” by discussing how cities and regions can advance sustainability, economic inclusion, security, and democracy.

• Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, Romania
• Jonathan Capehart, Journalist and Editorial Board Member, Washington Post and Contributor, MSNBC
• Lenio Myriavi, Chief Resilience Officer and City Councilor, City of Athens, Greece
• Karen Donfried, President, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
• Moderator: Richard Lui, Anchor, MSNBC / NBC News

The BUILD host cities of Bilbao and Detroit each have their own unique stories; however they share many of the same values and tactics when it comes to shaping urban transformation - crafting a long term vision, leveraging strategic partnerships, making bold decisions, dialogue and engagement with stakeholders .  This DNA of change combines thoughtful policy making with the leadership skills to move from ideas to action; in fact, some of the most successful examples of urban transformation in transatlantic cities highlight the importance of both competencies.  Leaders in the BUILD community face challenges and constraints on a daily basis, and often a tipping point or crisis can provoke the type of innovation and risk taking that leads to breakthroughs. This panel will illuminate examples of breakthroughs in urban transformation that can inspire our BUILD audience and exemplify the policy and leadership practices that promote sustainability, inclusion and global engagement.

• Ashley Swearengin, President and CEO, Central Valley Community Foundation, Former Mayor of Fresno, California
• Nora Sarasola, General Director, Bilbao Ekintza
• Bettina van Suntum, Head of Leipzig 2020 Strategy Implementation Project, City of Leipzig
• Maurice Cox, Director of Planning & Development, City of Detroit
• Moderator: Richard Lui, Anchor, MSNBC / NBC News

Tabletop dialogues provide an opportunity for small group reflection on the morning plenary program and prepare participants to shift to the breakout sessions on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. 

Afternoon BUILD Breakout Sessions  2:00pm-4:30pm
Location: various sites in the city

BUILD Lab: Tactical Urbanism for Detroit’s Industrial Legacy. Today there are more than 66.000 vacant buildings scattered across the city of Detroit and over 6.1 square miles of vacant industrial sites. Too readily associated with conditions of blight and urban decline, high vacancy rates have led local governments to consider a “Tactical Preservation” approach. If managed properly, these innovative phased and temporary approaches can serve as a catalyst to reactivate sites and reimagine the city’s industrial legacy. This BUILD Lab session will focus on the iconic Conners Creek Power Plant, a vacant industrial property decommissioned in the late 2000s, offering 400,000 square feet of redevelopable space along the Detroit waterfront. Participants will tour the property and then participate in a facilitated brainstorming session on-site to generate ideas for how to tactically reuse and reimagine portions of the site; inputs from the session will be used by the property owner in their ongoing exploration of reuse options.  Participants in this session should come prepared to explore, brainstorm and collaborate with their colleagues in Detroit.

• Matteo Robiglio, Architect and Researcher, ‎Politecnico di Torino
• Jacqueline Taylor, ‎Lead Historian/Cultural Landscape Specialist, Department of Planning and Development, City of Detroit
• Nancy Moody, VP of Public Affairs, DTE Energy
• Kirk McGinn, Manager Construction, DTE Energy
• Cassi Meitl, Program Manager Public Affairs, DTE Energy
• Facilitator: Matthew Freeman, Co-Founder and Principal Consulting, TMI Consulting
• Moderator: Irene Garcia, Program Officer, Urban and Regional Policy Program, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Inclusive Economic Development:  Aligning Jobs, Skills and Pay. The transition to an inclusive economy, society, and built environment in transatlantic cities has been a cornerstone of BUILD programming.  This year we will dive deeper into the theme by exploring how metro regions can develop an inclusive and integrated approach to economic development that takes into consideration the intersection of jobs, skills and pay. In this breakout session, the JustJobs Network will present findings from data analysis that assesses the evolving strategies in Detroit and Bilbao to promote economic diversification, high-quality jobs, and greater labor market equity. Participants will then pivot to an interactive discussion about whether (and how) the findings and the questions they raise relate to their local context. Then, the group will discuss, from a transatlantic perspective, what role metro regions can (and should) play to not only harness jobs and tap into skills but to address stagnant wages. Inputs from this discussion will inform GMF’s new transatlantic task force on inclusive economic development.    

• Greg Randolph, Executive Vice President, JustJobs Network
• Jeff Donofrio, Director of Workforce Development, Jobs and Economy Team, City of Detroit, Mayor’s Office
• Nora Sarasola Irizar, General Director of Bilbao Ekintza
• Moderator: Anne Marie Brady, Program Officer, Urban and Regional Policy Program, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

How Autonomous Vehicles Can Improve Your (Urban) Life. With all the buzz around autonomous vehicles (AV) or self-driving cars, city leaders in Europe and the United States are in the midst of navigating how this technology can positively shape their city’s mobility future.  This breakout session will explore two dimensions to this hot topic: how can autonomous vehicles (AV) support city priorities around mobility, climate change, equity, and safety; and what are the approaches to developing a city AV policy to support these goals.  Participants hear will insights from local leaders actively shaping AV adoption and then discuss the opportunities and challenges of AV deployment in their own cities.

• Leah Treat, Director, Portland Bureau of Transportation
• Alisyn Malek, COO, May Mobility
• Henriette Van Eijl, Policy Coordinator, Smart Cities and Urban Mobility, European Commission
• Mark de la Vergne, Chief of Mobility Innovation, City of Detroit
• Moderator: David Zipper, Resident Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Joining Forces: Philanthropic Partnerships for Transformative Change. Cross-sector collaborations that engage philanthropy are key to advancing sustainable, resilient and inclusive growth in transatlantic cities of all types. Yet, effective and innovative partnerships that lead to transformative change are still too scarce and can seem undefined or vague. In this session, we will focus on challenges and success factors of city-philanthropy partnerships and session participants will have the opportunity to critically discuss and share their insights and experience. To focus the discussion, the session will highlight the initial findings of the European Foundation Center’s work through their Funders’ Forum on Sustainable Cities before building on this through interactive hybrid hacks exploring partnership models that can help achieve transformative change. The interactive session will leverage the input, insights, and experience of cross-sector participants in the room to distill practical lessons and allow future collaborations, providing guidance for potential new programs. Working with the European Foundation Centre, results will be published for stakeholders to support the development of effective partnerships that address persistent and enduring challenges in transatlantic cities and neighborhoods.

• Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, Founder and Principal, Precovery Labs
• Jennifer Fitzsimons, Thematic Networks Coordinator, Funders Forum on Sustainable Cities, European Foundation Centre
• Neal Hegarty, Vice President of Programs, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and Member, Funders Forum on Sustainable Cities

Free Evening to Explore Detroit or to join one of the locally hosted dinners (please see your pre-departure email for additional details)

Friday, November 17th

8am-9am BUILD Breakfast at the Westin Hotel.  In response to feedback from last year's BUILD, we wanted to create additional opportunity for participants to share innovations and best practices with their colleagues.  During breakfast on Friday morning at the Westin, interested BUILD participants can volunteer to host a table discussion and informally share their work. 

Morning BUILD Breakouts & Networking Lunches  10am-1:30pm
Location: various sites in the city

Clean, Green & Seen: Transatlantic Allies for Local Climate Agendas.  Cities around the world are becoming pioneers in promoting sustainable development and equitable economic growth. They are going even beyond nation states, with more than 600 mayors pledging support for 100% renewable energy. But what do cities need to meet their ambitious sustainability goals? To answer this fundamental question, this session will feature a cross-sector dialogue of select U.S. and EU city representatives and business leaders who are executing innovative strategies in this space. Speakers will share their stories of leadership in sustainability, highlighting transferrable lessons. Through interactive table group discussions, participants will be invited to envision, contribute and reflect - drawing from their own cross-sectoral experiences - to understand how local governments, business leaders and stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic can unleash their full potential for action, while also driving cities’ sustainability agenda.

• Camilla Seth, Executive Director of Sustainable Finance, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Dale Medearis, Senior Environmental Planner, Environmental and Planning Services, Northern Virginia Regional Commission
• Ethan Guy, Interim Chief Resilience Officer, City of Oakland, California
• Lykke Leonardsen, Program Director, Resilient and Sustainable City Solutions, City of Copenhagen
• Steffen Lenze, Senior Land-Use Planner, Department of Planning, City of Essen
• Moderator: Irene Garcia, Program Officer, Urban and Regional Policy Program, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Neighborhoods Rising: Co-Creation as an Antidote to Apathy? The exclusion of neighborhood voices from city-level decision making process is an all too familiar reality in both U.S. and European cities, leading to apathy, mistrust and disengagement from civic life.  The churning in cities across the Atlantic over the last year only reinforces the need to strengthen grass roots engagement and civic capacity especially in disconnected neighborhoods in order to turn apathy into spirited passion for change. This breakout session will challenge prior thinking on engagement by presenting three models of engagement—co-creation, co-production and co-city—from leading experts in the field.  Participants will explore the concepts and the adaptability to their local context—indeed, can such models be an antidote to apathy? Inputs from this discussion will inform GMF’s new transatlantic Vibrant Neighborhoods Forum.

• Tanya Renee James, Executive Director, Central City Renaissance Alliance
• Dr. Elke Loeffler, Chief Executive, Governance International
• Alicia Bonner Ness, Senior Advisor and Designer, LabGov
• Moderator: Anne Marie Brady, Program Officer, Urban and Regional Policy Program, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Multigenerational Cities: Aging as an Innovation. In order to thrive in the 21st century, cities need to adapt to, and harness, the intersecting global trends of demographic change and urbanization. Transatlantic cities are implicitly designed with able-bodied tax-paying adults in mind, while the groups that have the most specific needs in terms of urban space - children and the elderly – are often not taken into consideration. How can cities disrupt their understanding of aging in the context of city space, economy, and society? This session will bring together experts and practitioners from Europe and the U.S. to share and learn about innovative and integrated ways of creating truly multigenerational and age-friendly cities. Through informed analysis and interactive group discussions, participants will explore policies and practices that can support aging populations as asset for economic competitiveness, a foundation for social integration, and a pulse for a city’s soul.

• Stephanie Firestone, Senior Strategic Policy Advisor, International, AARP
• Rodney Harrell, Director, Livability Thought Leadership Public Policy Institute, AARP
• Jennifer Vey, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
• Karin Morris, Associate Director of Planning, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
• Deane Alan Simpson, Associate Professor, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
• Facilitator: Matthew Freeman, Co-Founder and Principal Consultant, TMI Consulting

BUILD Lab: Using Design to Drive Change.  Design and innovation are fundamental to Detroit’s past, present and future. In recognition of this, it has become the first U.S. city to receive the “city of design” designation from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNSECO) in 2015; one of the main initiatives is the creation of creative economy strategy to achieve sustainable urban development, social inclusion, and cultural vibrancy.  This breakout session will feature a transatlantic conversation about the power of design as a driver of economic opportunity, inclusion and innovation.  Participants will learn more about Detroit’s process for building a strategy around the UNESCO designation and visit local creative businesses and institutions to learn more about the potential opportunities for equitable growth in Detroit. 

• Olga Stella, Executive Director, Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3)
• Kimberly Driggins, ‎Director of Strategic Planning, City of Detroit Planning and Development Department
• Abir Ali, Director, Design and Culture at the Platform
• Jen Guarino,Vice President of Manufacturing, Shinola
• Maria Luisa Rossi, Chair and Professor MFA Integrated Design, College of Creative Studies
• Jordi Albareda, Founder, Fair Saturday  

BUILD Closing Plenary  2:00-4:30pm
Location: Garden Theater

Panel discussion will bring in themes from the breakout discussions and challenge participants to move from ideas to action as they leave for home.  Speakers will be asked to prepare their insights and key takeaways from the two breakout workshops they attended on Thursday and Friday.  The panel will not report out on each workshop, rather synthesize key insights across the sessions.  In closing the panel will help to set up the BUILD action planning sessions that follows.

• Dorothy Simeon, Vice President, Policy Development and Integration AARP
• Cindy Campbell, Director of International and Philanthropic Innovation, US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development 
• Oliver Weigel, Director of National Urban Development Policy, German Ministry of the Environment and Building
• Ibon Zugasti, International Projects Manager, LKS S. Coop – Mondragon

Facilitated session for participants to synthesize their personal learning and map plan for next steps

After the closing session, please join us for a networking coffee and treats provided by Detroit’s Sister Pie

BUILD Closing Celebration 7pm-Midnight

 Please join in celebration of BUILD with the Best of Detroit food, drinks, and sounds!
Location: Madison Building