Urban Sustainability

Sustainable Cities & Communities: A Transatlantic Dialogue

Small actions, Big Impact. A Sustainable Tomorrow!

October 15–16, 2025

Urban Farm Tour
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Shuttle Pick Up: TBD
Arrive at shuttle pick up at 8:45 AM
Max capacity: 25
 
Registration Link: HERE
Note: We are at full capacity. 
Your registration will be placed on a waiting list and will be contacted if there if there's are changes.
Farms We'll Be Visiting:

 
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
5:00 PM- 6:00 PM
University of Pittsburgh
Wesley W. Posvar, Room 4130 

 
The Green Scene: Urban Farmers, Sustainable Communities in Pittsburgh and Berlin
Dr. Jesko Hirschfeld, Humboldt University of Berlin

About the Keynote Speaker: 
Jesko Hirschfeld studied economics at the universities of Bonn, Frankfurt am Main, and the Free University of Berlin. From 1996 to 1998, he worked as a scientific staff member for the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag), and from 1998 to 2002, he worked on his doctorate with a scholarship by the German Research Foundation (DFG) in the Research Training Group “Agriculture and Environment” at the University of Göttingen. Since 2002, he has been a research associate and later subject area manager for water and land management at the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) in Berlin in the research field “Environmental Economics and Policy.” From 2017 to 2020, in addition to his work at the IÖW, he was a visiting professor for landscape economics at the Technical University of Berlin. From 2022 to 2024, he taught as a visiting professor of environmental economics at Humboldt University in Berlin. He has worked on numerous inter- and transdisciplinary projects on natural climate protection, nature-based adaptation to climate change, land and water use, and integrated coastal zone management, focusing primarily on economic aspects and ecological-economic assessments. In recent years he focused on urban ecosystem services provided by urban green, parks and gardens.
 
 
 
Panel Discussion & Workshops
Thursday, October 16, 2025
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Location:
University of Pittsburgh
William Pitt Union, Lower Level

Registration Appreciated: HERE
 

Welcoming Remarks

Part I: Panel Discussion 
Moderator: Randall Halle, European Studies Center
Panelists:
Dr. Patrick Shirey — Geology and Environmental Science, University of Pittsburgh
Lisa Freeman — Freeman and Family Farm
State Representative Emily Kinkead, PA House District 20, Chair of the Legislative Hunger Caucus
Dr. Jesko Hirschfeld — Humboldt University of Berlin


Part II:  Breakout / Discussion Groups
Group A: Urban Farming Challenges and Opportunities
Group B: Climate resilience strategies in cities
Group C: Ensuring nutrition security for vulnerable populations

**Lunch will be provided. 

Sponsors: 

European Studies Center
Global Studies Center
German Department
Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation
Office of Sustainability in the Health Sciences
University Center of International Studies
German on Campus
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Washington