Lewis Mumford Lecture: “From Crisis to Proximity: A New Social Contract for Cities,” Featuring Carlos Moreno

Event details Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026 Time: 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Campus: The City College of New York Type: Career / Professional About this event Please join us on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026, at 6 pm for our prestigious Lewis Mumford Lecture. This year, we are honored to welcome renowned multidisciplinary researcher and urban thinker Carlos Moreno, who will present his lecture, "From Crisis to Proximity: A New Social Contract for Cities." This lecture is free, open to the public, and will be held in the Great Hall of Shepard Hall. Live captioning and ASL interpretation will be available upon request. For access requests or questions, please contact ssadean@ccny.cuny.edu . Please RSVP here. Carlos Moreno , a French-Colombian scholar based in Paris since age 20, is Professor at IAE Paris–Sorbonne and Scientific Director of the ETI Chair. A multidisciplinary researcher, he is internationally recognized for innovative ideas to improve urban life. Creator of the “15-Minute City,” he received the 2022 UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour. He is a member of the French Academy of Technologies, the International Academy of Architecture, the American Academy of Housing and Communities, and Sigma Xi. Widely awarded and influential, his writings appear in 14 languages, and he is regarded as one of the world’s leading contemporary urban thinkers. "From Crisis to Proximity: A New Social Contract for Cities": Today’s urban crises — climate disruption, rising inequalities, mobility pressure, housing shortages, and social fragmentation — lie at the heart of deteriorating well-being and quality of life. In a predominantly urban world, it is essential to pursue deep reflection and decisive action to transform this malaise through new urban approaches. Throughout history, proximity — the capacity for people to remain connected — has been a key lever for rebuilding social cohesion. This lecture argues that we must go further and establish a new social contract for cities, grounded in proximity as a civic, ecological, and economic principle. By rethinking how we organise time, space, and everyday access, proximity provides a powerful framework for transforming urban life. Concepts such as the “x-minute city” and “high-quality social life” demonstrate how human-scale ecosystems can reduce carbon emissions, ease daily stress, strengthen communities, and create new forms of economic value. In this vision, proximity is neither a trend nor a lifestyle choice, but a structural response to the crises shaping urban futures — one that can make cities more humane, inclusive, and resilient. As a new urban era emerges, proximity becomes the cornerstone of a renewed pact between citizens, institutions, and territories, enabling people not only to live in cities but to flourish in them. Suggested Reading: Moreno, Carlos. " The 15-Minute City: A Solution to Saving Our Time and Our Planet ." Wiley, 2024. Image Credits: Thomas Baltès (portrait); WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cit Official event details: https://events.cuny.edu/cec/lewis-mumford-lecture-from-crisis-to-proximity-a-new-social-contract-for-cities-featuring-carlos-moreno-2/