November 21-22, 2019 | Columbia University | NYC

Geography 2050:
Borders and a Borderless World

Geography 2050 is a multi-year, strategic dialog about the vital trends reshaping the geography of our planet in the coming decades. Initially organized by the American Geographical Society (AGS) in 2014, the ongoing Geography 2050 dialogue convenes thought leaders from academia, government, industry, and the social sector to facilitate discussion of the major forces that will shape our planet’s future. In the late 20th century, talk of a borderless world began to take hold among many in both academia and the media as the end of the Cold War and the forces of globalization rapidly impacted the planet. While many aspects of globalization led to greater fluidity across international borders in terms of trade, capital, technology transfer, and the movement of people, this same period witnessed the creation of more international borders, not fewer. This symposium questions what the world map will look like in 2050 and how our practice of defining, maintaining, and even understanding the meaning of borders might change. Within each theme, we will look both at scenarios of increasing interdependence and division and how they could play out by 2050.

2019's Symposium focused on how geography and geospatial science impact the role of borders in our future economy, environment, and geopolitical situation.

Symposium 2019 Highlights

Welcome and Introduction

Speakers

Dr. John Konarski (Chief Executive Officer, American Geographical Society)

Dr. Marie Price (President, American Geographical Society)

Dr. Christopher Tucker (Chair, American Geographical Society)

Dr. Wesley Reisser (Symposium Chair)

Keynote Address

Speaker

Vice Admiral Robert Sharp (Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency)

From Lines on the Map to the Cyber Borderless World

Speaker

Mr. John Kelly (Chief Executive Officer, Graphika Inc.)

The Changing Nature of Borders

Speakers

Dr. David Kaplan (Professor of Geography, Kent State University)

Dr. Martin Lewis (Senior Lecturer in History, Stanford University)

Dr. Alison Mountz (Director, International Migration Research Center)

Mr. David Kaden (Principal, The Blackstone Group, Inc.)

Fences and Walls

Speakers

Ms. Andrea d’Amato (Assistant Secretary for Operational Excellence, Massachusetts Department of Transportation)

Dr. Alexander Diener (Associate Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Science, University of Kansas)

Dr. Francisco Lara-Valencia (Associate Professor of Transborder Studies, Arizona State University)

Dr. Elizabeth Campbell (Director, United Nations Relief & Works Administration)

Anomalies Along the Border

Speaker

Dr. Joshua Hagen (Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Northern State University)

Thinking Geographically about Future Geopolitical Hotspots

Speakers

Dr. Lee Schwartz (The Geographer, U.S. Department of State)

Dr. Alexander Murphy (Professor of Geography and James F. and Shirley K. Rippey Chair in Liberal Arts and Science, University of Oregon)

Lightning Presentations - Day 1

Speakers

Dr. James Biles (Associate Professor, City College of New York)
“Order without borders? Some potential implications of the shift from government to network governance”

Dr. Alex de Sherbinin (Associate Director for Science Applications, Center for International Earth Science Information Network, Columbia University)
“Climate Change: A Major Driver of Migration Across Borders?”

Dr. Jack Eichenbaum (Professor, City University of New York)
“Borders, Walls and the Future of Us All”

Ms. Michaela Gawrys (Teaching Assistant, Kent State University)
“The Future of the Nation-State Border: A case study in Kosovo”

Dr. Peter Herlihy (Professor of Geography, University of Kansas)
“New Borders for Indigenous Lands: Indigenous Territorial Jurisdictions (ITJs) in Central America”

Mr. Karl Phillips (Content Director, Mapstory)
“European Borders from the Iron Curtain to Eurozone”

Mr. Dean Wise (Principal, Dean Wise, LLC)
“Laredo! What’s happening at the #1 border crossing for US-Mexico trade?”

Mr. Isaac Zaworski (Vice President, VRICON)
“Where the Heck Did I Put My Border?”

The Refugee Experience Through Their Own Eyes

Speaker

Ms. Kaitlin Yarnall (Senior Vice President of Storytelling, National Geographic Society)

People on the Move

Speakers

Dr. Elizabeth Chacko (Associate Provost, George Washington University)

Dr. Phillip Connor (Senior Researcher, Pew Research Center)

Ms. Kelly Razzouk (Director of Policy and Advocacy, International Rescue Committee)

Dr. Patricia Ehrkamp (Professor and Chair of Geography, University of Kentucky)

Nature and the Border

Speaker

Mr. John Davis (Executive Director, Rewilding Earth)

Conversation Keynote

Speakers

Dr. Marie Price (President, American Geographical Society)

Hon. Samantha Power (Professor of Practice, Harvard University)

Mapping in Response to Humanitarian Disaster

Speaker

Dr. Joshua Campbell (Chief Executive Officer, Sand Hill Geographic)

International Efforts at Mapping the Globe

Speakers

Mr. Eddie Pickle (Senior Director of Insight Solutions and Geospatial Systems, Maxar, Inc.)

Ms. Amy Coughenour (Chief Executive Officer, Cadasta Foundation)

Mr. Alexander Tait (The Geographer, National Geographic Society)

Dr. Patricia Solis (Executive Director of the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience, Arizona State University)

Spaces Beyond the State

Speakers

Mr. Anthony Quartararo (President and Chief Executive Officer, Spatial Networks, Inc.)

Ms. Kristina Gjerde (Senior Policy Adviser, International Union for Conservation of Nature)

Dr. Lawson Brigham (Distinguished Professor of Geography and Arctic Policy, University of Alaska)

Dr. Peter Martinez (Executive Director, Secure World Foundation)

Ms. Neda Bakos (Author)

Lightning Presentations - Day 2

Speakers

Mr. Jeff Butler (Product Manager, Mapbox)
“Balancing the User and Technical Requirements of a Large-Scale Boundaries Data Project”

Dr. Carter Christopher (Deputy Director, Office of the Geographer and Global Issues, United States Department of State)
“The 21st Century Geographer”

Dr. Craig Colten (Professor, Louisiana State University)
“Fixed Borders and Fluid Environments: Reconciling Incompatible Boundaries in Coastal Louisiana”

Mr. Stephen Gillotte (Chief Executive Officer, Reinventing Geospatial, Inc.)
“Cyber Situational Awareness & Understanding”

Dr. Andrew Grant (Visiting Assistant Professor, Boston College)
“BRI and the Border: Soft Power and Security at the Sino-Kazakh Boundary”

Ms. Kathryn Hannum (PhD Candidate, Kent State University)
“Un ejemplo global de diversidad y inclusion: Cosmopolitanism and diversity promotion in Buenos Aires”

Dr. Serin Houston (Assistant Professor, Mount Holyoke College)
“Conceptualizing Sanctuary as a Process in The United States”

Dr. David Salisbury (Associate Professor of Geography and the Environment, University of Richmond)
“Amazon Borderlands in the Anthropocene”

Ms. Janine Yoong (Vice President Business Development, Mapillary)
“Mappers Without Borders: Transcending Territories With Computer Vision and Collaboration”