The 'Alexander von Humboldt Cities and Climate Change Network”
Dear Professor / Dr. .... /Ms./Mr.
With the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the three undersigned alumni of the
AvH Foundation are forming a new network of researchers and practitioners - the 'Alexander von
Humboldt Cities and Cllrnate Change Network".
The network aims to inform scientific and policy discourses, promote research and innovations
based on exchange and cooperation among network members. The network also aspires to
propose thoughtful solutions to the interrelated issues of urban development, energy, and global
climate change.
The hrst conference of the "Cities and Climate Change Network” will take place in October 2011 at
the Freie Universitat Berlin. The conference is designed to review assess and plan long-term
cooperation, research and outreach among the broader Humboldt community related to the issues
of global climate change and urbanization. Following the 2011 conference in Berlin, we envision a
broad range of additional meetings of network members, continued communication, coordination,
and long-terrn research collaboration. The final structure and contents of the conference, including
the formation of content-specific discussion groups to frame the networking and cooperation, will
be announced within the next three months.
We would like to invite you, as an alumnus of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, to join the
"Cities and Climate Change Network' and to participate in the conference and the planned
network activities. ln that context, if you have an interest, please send one or more of your
abstracts from published papers that relate to one or any of the following thematic areas:
1) Urban risks and consequences of climate change
2) Urban climate change mltlgatlon and adaptation
3) Urban climate govemance
Abstracts should be sent to On Dale Medearis [email protected] no later than
December 15, 2010.
We hope that you will be able and interested in taking part in this initiative. The development of
this network will be dynamic and we look forward to hearing your suggestions, ideas and
recommendations. We also would like to ask that if you are familiar with other Humboldtians
working in any of the thematic areas specified above, that you forward this announcement to
them and inform us so that we can send them further information.
we intend to send invitations to the authors of the papers selected for the Berlin conference by
January 31, 2011. Partial support to cover travel expenses may be made available.
Please send all correspondence or questions related to the network and the conference to
With kindest regards,
Prof. Avi Gottlieb
Tel Aviv University
Dr. Dale Medearis
Northern Virginia Regional Commission
Nathaniel Scheer
Free University Berlin