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Ed Blakely

Honorary Professor in Urban Policy, United States Study Centre, University of Sydney

Edward Blakely is Honorary Professor of Urban Policy at the US Studies Centre, having previously served for two years as Executive Director of the Office of Recovery and Development Administration, the "recovery czar" for New Orleans following the devastation of hurricane Katrina.

One of the world's leading scholars and practitioners of urban policy, Blakely has been Dean of the School of Urban Planning and Development at the University of Southern California and Dean of the Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy, New School University in New York City. He has also held professorial appointments at the University of California Berkeley, the University of Southern California and the University of Sydney.

Professor Blakely is author of four books and more than one hundred scholarly articles as well as scores of essays and opinion pieces. His publications include Fortress America, Separate Societies: Poverty and Inequality in U.S. Cities, Planning Local Economic Development: Theory and Practice, and Rural Communities in Advanced Industrial Society.

Blakely's extensive record of public service includes advising the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, state and federal governments in Australia and the United States, as well as governments in Korea, Japan, Sweden, Indonesia, New Zealand and Vietnam.

A Fulbright Scholar, Professor Blakely earned his BA at the University of California Riverside, an MA in Latin American history at UC Berkeley, and a PhD in Education and Management at UCLA.

His new book is called My Storm - Managing the Recovery of New Orleans in the Wake of Katrina.

We can learn a lot from disasters, and we now know some areas don't recover

Feb 09, 2017 12:54 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Natural disasters were once regarded as a problem for the developing world, with reports of these rarely leading the news. Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy punctured that insularity in the US thanks to a malevolent combination...

Economy

Houthis Escalate Saudi Attacks as Red Sea Oil Risks Grow

Yemens Iran-backed Houthis intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia while expanding positions along Yemens Red Sea coast, raising fears that the widening Middle East conflict could further disrupt global oil supplies. The...

Asian Stocks Steady as AI Shares Rebound Ahead of Fed Decision

Asian stocks stabilized on Tuesday as a rebound in artificial intelligence and semiconductor shares helped markets recover from Mondays technology selloff. However, oil prices above $107 a barrel and elevated bond yields...

Finland Raises 2026 Growth Forecast as Exports and Investment Surge

Finlands economy is expanding faster than previously expected as stronger exports and investment support a broader recovery after years of weak growth, according to the Bank of Finland. The Finnish central bank now...

BOJ Flags Import Costs and Yen Shocks as Persistent Inflation Risks

The Bank of Japan is increasingly concerned that rising import costs and currency fluctuations can trigger sharp inflation in Japan, suggesting these supply-driven price pressures should play a greater role in monetary...

Asian Stocks Fall as AI Fears and Oil Surge Hit Markets

Asian stocks declined on Monday as concerns over a potential slowdown in artificial intelligence development pressured technology shares, while oil prices above $100 a barrel fueled inflation fears and expectations for...

Politics

Trump Rejects Calls for Tougher AI Regulation

President Donald Trump pushed back against growing calls for stricter AI regulation on Monday, arguing that the United States already has sufficient safeguards to police artificial intelligence companies and prevent...

US Immigration Arrests Surge as Deportations Lag Behind

U.S. immigration arrests have climbed to record levels in recent months, but deportations have failed to rise at the same pace as the Trump administration pushes ahead with its mass deportation campaign. Preliminary...

Mahmoud Khalil Sues Columbia Over Alleged Pro-Palestinian Harassment

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil and other Columbia University students filed a lawsuit against the university on Monday, alleging it failed to protect them from years of harassment linked to their advocacy and...

Trump Open to Chinese Automakers Building Cars in US

President Donald Trump said he would not oppose Chinese automakers opening manufacturing plants in the United States, provided they build vehicles domestically and employ American workers. If China wanted to come in and...

Trump Touts $5,000 Checks if Republicans Win Congress

President Donald Trump said the United States could afford to send $5,000 payments to every American adult if Republicans retain control of Congress in this years elections, though lawmakers said the proposal would require...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

SoftBank Shares Plunge 11% After OpenAI Rules Out 2026 IPO

SoftBank Group shares plunged on Monday as investors reacted to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman ruling out a public listing in 2026 and growing calls to slow the pace of artificial intelligence development. SoftBank (TYO: 9984)...

China’s Global Times Slams Anthropic CEO’s AI Slowdown Plan as ‘Cold War’ Strategy

Chinas state-backed Global Times has criticized Anthropic CEO Dario Amodeis proposal to slow the development of advanced artificial intelligence, arguing that the initiative reflects a U.S. Cold War playbook aimed at...

Z.AI Shares Slide 7% After $5 Billion Fundraising

Z.AI shares tumbled nearly 7% on Monday, reaching a 5-1/2-month low after the Chinese artificial intelligence company completed a roughly $5 billion fundraising package involving discounted new shares and convertible...

Anthropic Eyes Second Straight Profitable Quarter Ahead of Potential IPO

Anthropic expects to post positive adjusted operating income for a second consecutive quarter, signaling improving financial performance as the artificial intelligence company moves closer to a potential IPO, the Financial...

Trump Vows to Keep U.S. Ahead of China in AI Race

President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States must maintain its artificial intelligence lead over China, pushing back against calls from prominent technology leaders to slow AI development amid growing safety...