Urban Policy Expert
Joan Fitzgerald’s research focuses on ways in which public policy can support green economic development. In her latest book, Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development, she examines how US and Western European cities are addressing the interrelated issues of global warming, energy dependence, and opportunities for environmentally friendly economic development. The book explores several government initiatives that support efforts to tap the economic potential of green technologies. These initiatives include building new technology-based industry clusters, improving the efficiency of existing manufacturing processes, and creating well-paying green jobs in construction, manufacturing, and new advanced-technology sectors.
“European cities, supported by layers of national and European Union policy, have undertaken multiple initiatives in energy, transportation, building, and land use to reduce their carbon footprints,” writes Fitzgerald, the director of the Law and Public Policy Program at Northeastern University. “Absent a comprehensive national policy, US cities have begun to implement similar strategies on their own, or sometimes with assistance from state governments.”
Presentation will be uploaded after the October 20, 2011 conference.