This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Mannahatta2409.org is free online forum for people to develop and share their own visions for Manhattan based on rapid and realistic models of environmental performance: carbon, water, biodiversity and population. With Mannahatta2409.org you can see how the environment of any block of the city works today, compare that performance to the original ecology of the place, and explore the visions of others. You can also create, assess, and publish your own ideas through visions composed
of ecosystems, lifestyles, and climates. It is a tool for imagining the future by dreaming with data.

Sanderson is a landscape ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society, exploring the intersection between cities and nature. He is the author of Manahattan: A Natural History of New York City (Abrams, 2009), focusing on the ecology of Manhattan Island at the time of European discovery, and Terra Nova: The New World After Oil, Cars, and Suburbs (Abrams 2013), about the ecological future of the United States. Sanderson holds a Ph.D. in ecosystem and landscape ecology (University of California, Davis, 1998) and has published extensively on conservation issues.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)