It’s that time of year again- the new school year is well under way, the State Fair of Texas has come and gone, cool weather is on the way, and Thanksgiving is approaching along with the annual CityLab Summit. For those of you who are new to the CityLab HS community, the “Summit” is a two day event hosted by the CityLab High School Foundation, where students, teachers, families, and community stakeholders and industry experts engage in a discussion about our city and the places where we live, learn, work, and play.

This year’s Greening Dallas Sustainability Summit will focus on issues of environmental justice, sustainable development, climate change, and the need for a more balanced relationship with the natural world that ensures a sustainable and equitable future for all. Our guest speakers this year are visionary thought-leaders, and we would like to invite the entire CityLab community- including students, their parents and relatives, and guests to join us to participate in this year’s Summit.

On Thursday November 17th @ 6:00PM at Fair Park, UNESCO Water Chair and Dean of the University of Oregon College of Design, Dr. Adrian Parr will speak about her new book, Earthlings, and a host of environmental issues and challenges, as well as themes of equity, friendship, and generosity as starting points for change. Dr. Parr will be joined onstage by a panel of CityLab students who will participate in a conversation with her that is sure to be informative and help us put our thoughts and ideas into action.

Then, on Friday November 18th, the CityLab HS students will hear from Julie Hiromoto FAIA, an architect from HKS Dallas, and a recognized leader in the local and national sustainable design community. Mrs. Hiromoto is an advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion and has spoken around the world on these topics. She too will be joined onstage by a panel of CityLab students who will discuss her career, and a wide range of projects she has worked on from the new Tropicana Field Master Plan in St. Petersburg, Florida to the One World Trade Center in New York.

Later that day, CityLab students will present a range of Projects from this semester to industry experts from EarthX, AECOM, the Architecture and Design Exchange (AD EX), the City of Dallas Departments of Environmental Quality & Sustainability and Planning & Urban Design, and to faculty members from the SMU Lyle School of Engineering, and the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA) at UT Arlington.

As you can see, the 2022 CityLab Summit is sure to be an incredible learning experience for our students, and the entire CityLab community- and we hope that you will join us for the 2022 Summit. To learn more about this year’s Summit and to Register to attend the Keynote event on THURS, Nov. 17th at Fair Park, please go the link below and use the Code: PARENTYOUTH to get free tickets for you, your family, and guests. Thank you for your support- we look forward to seeing you there!

Peter Goldstein