FREE
for Members
Urban Centers: Surprisingly Sustainable?
Monday, October 21, 2019
Roosevelt House, 47-49 E 65th St, New York, NY 10065
Presented By
The Anthropology Section
The New York Academy of Sciences
Cities are paradoxically resilient: even the ones that eventually failed in ancient times were occupied for hundreds of years, and even the most fragile modern ones continue to be inhabited. Using an archaeological perspective, this lecture will examine the many ways in which ancient cities constituted resilient social and economic networks that provide a blueprint for our own sustainable futures. Such futures are not unproblematic, of course, because cities necessarily draw in food, water, and raw materials from the countryside. Urbanites’ comfortable assurance of resiliency can mask a neglect of rural needs and realities, resulting in significant and sometimes deleterious social, economic, and political consequences.
Location: Roosevelt House, 47-49 E 65th St, New York, NY 10065
A dinner and wine reception will precede the talk. Buffet dinner begins at 5:45 PM.
Lectures begin at 6:30 PM and are free and open to the public, but registration is required.