COVID is hitting cities hard, how will they bounce back?

SOCIETY

VIDEO (60 MIN)

The 15-Minute City

How can we center our cities around people—not cars? How can we reimagine where we live to prioritize racial and economic equity, health, environmental sustainability and resilience to create inclusive and accessible cities? Urban planners, developers, civic leaders, and entrepreneurs have an opportunity to seize on this moment of uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic and reimagine urban life. Professor Carlos Moreno of the Sorbonne, renowned urbanist and author Richard Florida, former New York City transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, and REEF Technology’s global head of public policy Padden Murphy join The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson to talk about the best new thinking around city life and planning. Presented by the Aspen Institute Energy & Environment Program.Watch

COMMUNITY

VIDEO (15 MIN)

In Newark, a Company Shows Up for Its City

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s family has called the city home for over 100 years. So has Prudential Financial. That kind of longevity often instills—even requires—commitment to community, says Prudential Director of Impact Investing Ommeed Sathe. Through creative collaboration between the public and private sectors, city and company have brought equity to the center, and have built trust with Newark residents and each other. From affordable housing to reskilling workers, to the development of the arts and commercial spaces, how can public investments make sense for a company while having a meaningful impact on people? How are COVID, economic recovery, and racial unrest challenging these initiatives while presenting opportunities for a policy reset? Baraka and Sathe tackle these questions in discussion with Jennifer Kingson, along with what’s on their wish list for the Biden administration. Presented by Prudential.Watch

POLITICS

VIDEO (16 MIN)

What Comes Next After the Election? Q&A with NPR’s Tamara Keith

As President-Elect Joe Biden begins naming senior White House staff, speculation about his administration’s priorities is coming into focus. What kind of mandate does Biden have? Will he govern as a moderate or will he feel the pressures from the left of the party? NPR’s White House correspondent Tamara Keith joins Dan Glickman, executive director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, to discuss what a Biden agenda might look like, the importance of local news, and how the media might cover President Donald Trump after he leaves the White House.Watch

HEALTH

Got a Burning Question About Immunity?

Only ten months after the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the United States, pharmaceutical companies are announcing promising vaccine trial results. This rapid progress could not have been possible without scientists generating insights about the virus. One of those scientists is Florian Krammer, professor of vaccinology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who has been researching how the virus attacks the body. We invite you to submit a question for Dr. Krammer. Keep an eye out for his interview — and answers to your questions — in an upcoming issue of Aspen Ideas Now.

With 2020 election past, we must now define ourselves as a nation and as Americans

USA Today November 19, 2020

By Caroline Hopper, managing director of the Citizenship & American Identity Program,and Ashley Quarcoo, the program’s senior research manager

Native Voters Played a Huge Role in the 2020 Elections

Teene Vogue Nov. 19, 2020

By Nikki Pitre, executive director of the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY), and Mikah Carlos, chairwoman of the CNAY Youth Advisory Board

Rebuilding the Good Society

Democracy: A Journal of Ideas Winter No. 59

By Zeenat Rahman, director of the Inclusive America Project

Beyond Good Intentions: Facing Racism in America Head On

Podcast, November 17

Featuring Claudia Rankine, author of Just Us: An American Conversation, and Eric Liu, executive director of the Aspen Institute Citizenship and American Identity Program. Listen.