Cities in a World of Disruption: Democracy, Resilience, and the New Role of Urban Leadership

The Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago invite you to a lunchtime conversation with Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw. As geopolitical tensions, war, climate change and democratic polarization place growing pressure on traditional institutions, cities are increasingly becoming frontline actors in addressing challenges that are global in origin but local in impact. Drawing on his experience leading Poland’s capital city Warsaw, Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski will explore how cities can strengthen democratic resilience, respond to crises, and build new forms of international cooperation. In conversation with Deborah Cohen, Richard W. Leopold Professor of History and Director of the Roberta Buffett Institute, Mayor Trzaskowski will consider the growing role of urban leadership and city-to-city networks in a more fragmented international environment and ask how local governments can complement national and multilateral institutions at a time when trust in established structures is under strain. Warsaw’s experience — from supporting Ukraine and integrating refugees to climate policy, civic engagement, and international city diplomacy — will serve as a case study for a broader conversation about the changing architecture of global cooperation and the role cities may play within it. Doors will open at 12:00 p.m., and lunch will begin at 12:15 p.m. Please note that 720 University Place is not an ADA-accessible space. Increasing physical access to buildings and facilities is a goal of the University, but not all buildings and venues have been updated.