IHC Global Urban Thinkers Campus on Smart Cities in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, smart city technology promised cities improved efficiency and cost-savings across range of urban services, such as accurate water meters, digital parking, policing and virtually any aspect of city life that can be imagined. Whether they are sufficiently aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 11 and designed to foster inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities is not so clear.

But, the pandemic and the fact that 90% of COVID-19 cases have broken out in cities makes this question more urgent than ever: What have smart cities done to build urban resilience and to prepare residents, especially the most vulnerable, to combat virus transmission and withstand economic shocks?  How can cities integrate smart technology to build urban resilience going forward?

Join IHC Global and Red Dot Foundation for an engaging Urban Thinkers Campus that will draw on expert insight, discussion, and audience engagement to advance practical and creative solutions.

Day One Registration Here
Day Two Registration Here

Wednesday, October 21st:
Creating People-Centered and Gender-Responsive
Smart Cities to Advance the New Urban Agenda

Join us on Day 1 as we consider drivers and strategies for making a people-centered smart city with a focus on the urban experiences and concerns of women. Our panel experts, coupled with audience participation, will help us consider: is technology neutral? Whose voices count when designing a smart city? What does a smart city look like from a gender perspective? How can we make inclusiveness, SDG 11, and the NUA a fundament of the deployment of frontier technology?

Speakers include:

    • ElsaMarie d’Silva, Founder/CEO, Red Dot Foundation
    • Shivani Chaudhry, Executive Director, Housing and Land Rights Network
    • Dr. Luisa Bravo, Founder/Editor in Chief, Journal of Public Space/City Space Architecture
    • Dr. Ayona Datta, Professor in Urban Geography, City University of London
    • Natalie R. Gill, Program and Policy Coordinator, IHC Global
Moderated by:
    • Dr. Judith Hermanson, President/CEO, IHC Global
Day One Registration Here

Friday, October 23rd:
Inclusive Technology and Creative Partnerships for the
City We Need

Join us on Day 2 as we consider mechanisms, policies, and solutions for inclusive smart city implementation. Our panel experts, coupled with audience participation, will help us consider: how can cities better engage vulnerable and marginalized urban populations in smart city planning? How can local partnerships between local governments, civil society and grassroots movements, and the private sector support inclusive smart cities? What would an effective policy framework look like?

Speakers include:

    • Charles Cadwell, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute
    • Elba Fuster Figuerola, Technical Expert, Smart Cities and Digitalization, UNDP Center for Technology, Innovation, and Sustainability
    • Brian English, Director for Development, Puerto Rico Foundation
    • Camila Jordan, Policymaker/Urban and Community Advocate, TETO Brasil
Moderated by:

    • Dr. Judith Hermanson, President/CEO, IHC Global 
Day Two Registration Here