Recent Blog Posts
The global COVID pandemic has changed everything about how cities operate in ways not previously thought possible. Read More.
Two key themes have strongly pervaded the learnings around smart and resilient cities as we begin to analyse the short-term impact in city systems and services – Agility and Digitalisation. In addition, one big opportunity has presented itself around our shared global goal and responsibility towards achieving Net Zero.
Local Leadership and Global City Networks Driving Innovation
At the World Cities Summit in Singapore, in June of 2018, the Deputy Prime Minister, His Excellency, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, explored the convergence of several key issues creating a ‘perfect storm’ for massive city challenges: poorly managed urbanisation, climate change, disease threats, lack of skills and education, and unequal growth. A constructive few days were spent exploring two related solutions: spinning up new innovations and sharing the solutions across cities globally.
He challenged the audience with the unprecedented scale of this problem by offering two interconnected solutions: 1. spinning up new innovations; and 2. sharing the solutions across cities globally. “We need solutions that can spread from one city to another and from one part of the world to another,” he said.
How can governments of the future be more human? Surprisingly, technology can be the solution
At the 2018 World Government Summit held in Dubai, author Malcolm Gladwell spoke about the significant changes governments need to make in order to meet the challenges of the future. He highlighted three critical areas:
Firstly, governments will need to solve mysteries rather than puzzles.
Secondly, governments will need to provide highly individualised solutions to their citizens
Finally, in a time of high instability and uncertainly across much of the world, governments will need to reassure and provide a sense of security with a high level of empathy
In short, says Gladwell, governments of the future will need to become more ‘human’.
To meet this challenge, governments need help. Innovation and the advanced urban services sector can help governments meet this challenge.
India's 100 Smart Cities - What Will Success Look Like?
In 2015, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi set a challenge for the country to establish 100 smart cities. The vision is bold and far reaching especially for a nation whose large urban areas struggle with maintaining 24/7 power, clean and readily available water and proper sanitation. Smart means different things for different regions of the world and for India it means technology that helps facilitate a better quality of life for its millions of citizens through delivery of essential services whilst planning for a new urban future.
PM Modi has set the agenda, but it will be up to local leadership including Municipal Commissioners, Mayors and heads of local development corporations to deliver on that vision.