"I wish you could see the emails flying around and hear the conversations I’ve been part of all day about how much everyone appreciated meeting you and hearing you speak. Your words resonated with H2H members and have truly inspired some of the most exciting and enthusiastic conversations that I’ve been a part of in my role here at WLT. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us. Thank you for the care and thought you put into your message."
-Westchester Land Trust"On behalf of everyone at Housing Colorado, I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you for sharing your expertise and insights with our attendees at this year’s Housing Colorado Now! Conference. Your willingness to volunteer your time, energy and support helped make this conference a huge success."
-Housing Colorado"I wanted to take a moment to thank you once again for your presentation and participation in yesterday’s event. I greatly appreciate the time you took out of your schedule to join us in the Hudson Valley to discuss such critical issues centered around housing and urban revitalization. Your energy and charisma was infectious and many people left with a renewed sense of hope as they begin changing the frame and dialogue about need and impact in their communities. We received great feedback from the attendees and they left wanting more. As Pattern continues its mission on improving the quality of life in the Hudson Valley – we will keep housing and community development at the forefront of the conversation."
-Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress"Your talk stayed on our minds for days following the event."
-Gaston County Schools"Extraordinary talk tonight ....by an extraordinary person."
-Scully Brothers & Foss"The National Institute of Building Sciences is exploring how collaboration and a holistic approach to the design, construction, operation and regulation of the built environment can produce high-performance and resilient buildings and communities. Jonathan's keynote address at our Building innovation 2017 conference presented an effective and compelling case for looking beyond individual disciplines to understand the importance of addressing national and community challenges--and the potential consequences of inaction. The examples provided told the story in a manner easily accessible to our diverse audience of building-related professionals."
- Ryan M. Colker, J.D., Presidential Advisor, National Institute of Building Sciences"Thank you for a terrific lecture and a delightful evening. I rarely have enjoyed a conversation as much as I enjoyed ours. You have created a magnificent book that should be read by every mayor, city manager, city council member in the country, and by everyone else who is interested in and concerned about the future of our cities."
-Jerry R. Schubel, PhD, President and CEO, Aquarium of the Pacific"Cities across America need champions to address twenty-first-century challenges of environmental, economic, and social change. During a time when political division undermines the future of American cities, Jonathan Rose is a much-needed voice that reminds land use professionals of our history, while encouraging us to embrace technological advances to address the challenges we face. His approach to urban life is refreshing!"
-Manikka Bowman, Manager of Policy and Outreach, ULI Boston/New England"The presentation by Jonathan Rose about the ideas in his Well-Tempered City book was inspiring to ULI Washington’s members. Our multidisciplinary group of urban professionals is engaged in providing leadership in creating thriving and healthy cities. Mr. Rose’s impassioned plea and convincing argument for the importance of this work provided attendees with a renewed vigor for working hard to seek equity and opportunity for all in our communities."
-ULI Washington"Jonathan Rose’s presentation at the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture was a memorable and inspiring event. The Institute was grateful for having the opportunity not only to host Jonathan in Dallas but to be the vehicle for sharing his ground-breaking book The Well-Tempered City with our members and supporters. What a remarkable contribution! I think of T.S. Eliot’s understanding of the way the circle of literary classics opens up to welcome new classics in a way that changes the contours of what we should know. So it must be with such insights and wisdom as Jonathan’s about cities."
-Dr. Larry Allums, Executive Director, Dallas Institute of Humanities and CultureThe Well Tempered City
Drawing from his recent book, Mr. Rose takes his audiences on a tour of the issues facing cities and nations in the 21st century, and drawing from extensive research of urban history, the social sciences, cognitive and neuroscience, and ecology, provides a framework of solutions, grounded in decades of practice, inspired with vision, and infused with compassion.
Developing Communities of Opportunity
In 1940, 90% of children growing up in the USA’s lowest income quartile would earn more than their parents by the time they were 26. Today, only 32% of children of the lowest quartile families will earn more than their parents, less than half. How can we reverse this trend? Mr. Rose discusses the elements of opportunity, and how we can create communities that enhance the health, wellbeing and prospects of their residents.
The Pathway to 2050
In 2050, the world’s population will reach 10 Billion, with almost 80 percent living in cities. The climate will be hotter, natural resources may be depleted, income inequality may be greater, and automation will transform the nature of work. Drawing from research, social and ecological sciences, his work, and a wide range of solutions emerging in cities now, Mr. Rose describes the challenges and opportunities in the pathway to an economically, socially and environmentally viable future. But to get there, we have to think differently.
Jonathan F.P. Rose is a thought leader on the environmental, social and economic issues and opportunities of cities. In 1989, Rose founded Jonathan Rose Companies LLC, a multi-disciplinary real estate development, planning, and investment firm which has successfully completed more than $2.3 billion of work. A thought leader in the Smart Growth, national infrastructure, green building, healthy and affordable housing movements, Mr. Rose is a frequent speaker and writer. His work has received widespread media attention from CNN to The New York Times and was profiled in e², a PBS series on sustainable development.
His book, The Well Tempered City (HarperWave) looks at the history and successes of urbanism through the lens of history, ecology, economic parity and resilience. Labeled as the man “who repairs the fabric of cities,” Rose has successfully helped to re-develop urban communities in New York, Denver, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Sao Paolo, to name a few. In The Well-Tempered City, he explores the lessons of cities from around the world, and throughout the history of civilization, to find the lessons that will guide the making of cities as solutions to our impending problems. Weaving together economics, history, urban planning, systems dynamics, and cognitive science, Rose describes how we can develop cities that are cauldrons of opportunity, and that will increase quality of life and help restore nature.
In 2005, the firm launched the nation’s first green transit oriented acquisition and redevelopment fund, followed by green affordable housing and office transformation funds. The firm draws on its human capital, financial depth and real estate expertise to create highly integrated solutions to real estate challenges. The firm’s work touches many aspects of community health; working with cities and not-for-profits to build not only housing, but also civic, cultural, educational and infrastructure open space.
The company’s innovative development, planning, investment, new construction, conversion and historic preservation work has won awards from a wide range of notable organizations including: the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Global Green USA, the Urban Land Institute, the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Architects. Rose is Vice Chair of Enterprise Community Partners and is a trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council. He also serves on the Board of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and is an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects. Rose chaired the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Blue Ribbon Sustainability Commission, which developed the nation’s first green transit plan, and was a commissioner on Governor Cuomo’s NYS 2100 Commission, tasked with identifying strategies for the long-term resilience of New York State’s infrastructure post-Hurricane Sandy.
Rose is also a co-founder of the Garrison Institute with his wife, Diana Rose, where he founded the Climate, Mind and Behavior program. Rose graduated from Yale University in 1974 with a B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy, and received a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980. He currently resides in New York City.