Media advisory: Rivers and climate change

Washington University and Royal Netherlands Embassy host river workshops with American and Dutch experts


WHO: Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts and The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C.

WHAT: MISI-ZIIBI: Living with the Great Rivers

WHERE: Steinberg and Givens Hall, Washington University; and various locations throughout St. Louis.

WHEN: Friday, March 22, through Monday, March 25

MEDIA AVAILABILITY: John Hoal, associate professor and director of the Master of Urban Design program in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts; Dale Morris, senior economist for The Royal Netherlands Embassy; Derek Hoeferlin, assistant professor of architecture.

ABOUT THE PROJECT:

From March 22-25, the Sam Fox School—in conjunction with The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C.— will present MISI-ZIIBI: Living with the Great Rivers, an international symposium investigating climate adaptation strategies in the Mississippi and Missouri basins.

Events will include a series of working groups charged with developing strategies based on three distinct river conditions:

* An agricultural zone, represented by the Mississippi from Melvin Price Locks and Dams to the Illinois confluence.

* A suburban development zone, represented by the Missouri from Earth City to the Chesterfield Valley.

* An urbanized zone, represented by the Mississippi from the Missouri confluence to 1-270.

The working groups will conduct field trips to each site Friday afternoon. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, they will work together in WUSTL’s Steinberg and Givens halls to develop a series of strategies, which will then be presented to the public Monday at noon.

For a complete schedule, or to arrange an interview or b-roll, call Liam Otten at 314-935-8494 (office) or 314-874-6331 (cell); or email liam_otten@wustl.edu.