Smart and Intelligent Cities were initiated seriously in the mid 1990’s in Singapore, Silicon Valley and Toronto. Today the global business of digitally driven urban transformation is approaching $1 trillion per year with estimates exceeding $3 trillion by 2023. Some colleagues and I created Smart Toronto ’94.
I’m excited to be reflecting on what has developed and evolved so far in the Smart City realm, and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead, as I join the distinguished group of thinkers and leaders in sustainability, business and science speaking at the RSI | Rethink Sustainability Initiatives 2018 Leadership Summit coming to Toronto on March 28, 2018. AI Sustainable Futures Summit and Innovation Zone is a one-day action-focused exchange where forward-thinking leaders, entrepreneurs and experts from business, finance, science, cities and civil society come together to discover opportunities for advancing our future sustainability — with special focus on artificial intelligence (AI), digital technologies and other transformative innovations.
In my talk, I will reflect on how there are now at least twenty definitions of “Smart Cities” created by reasonably credible associations, publications, academics and even countries, like India with their “100 Smart Cities” initiative. In addition, we have Sustainable, Resilient, Investable, Interconnected, Convenient, Future and Best Cities. No wonder people are confused!
In the “early” years, most Smart City activities and strategies had a definite technical orientation and today there is an increasing focus of the impact on our citizens and their “happiness” (Dubai’s focus), convenience and quality of life. We need to rethink the name and description of this overarching concept to include qualities associated with Smart, Intelligent, Resilient, Sustainable, Interconnected Investable, Convenient and Comfortable. It really is “My Future City” and it will include features important to specific cities while building on their present advantages and relevant future opportunities.
In addition to gaining insights from leading edge participants in new trends and innovations, AI Sustainable Futures Summit and Innovation Zone will be the place to forge new partnerships with fellow trailblazers for getting to the next level of future readiness. I hope to see you there!
Register here for RSI | Rethink Sustainability Initiatives 2018 Leadership Summit – March 28, 2018 in Toronto.
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