City of Sydney funds Smart Cities Week

A new Sydney conference aims to bring together more than 350 innovators from around the world.

The City of Sydney has contributed $15,500 in sponsorship to the Smart Cities Week event from 29–31 October — held in Australia for the first time.

Attendees will be able to share their brightest ideas on how digital technology and data can make cities better places to live.

The conference will explore how technology and data can help solve the social, environmental, planning, transport and economic challenges facing global communities.

The City’s sponsorship ensures five emerging innovators from the public sector and academia who would otherwise not be able to travel to Sydney can take part.

“This event is a great opportunity to explore how cities are using data and technology to improve the lives of people living in urban areas,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“Technology can help us provide more efficient ways of delivering services and infrastructure, and data can help us make informed decisions for Sydney’s future.

“This conference will give participants from all over the world the opportunity to test ideas, share best practice and learn from each other here in Sydney.”

The Executive Director for Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand, Adam Beck, said the event will highlight the potential roles of technology, data and intelligent design for city planning.

“Having Sydney play host to our first smart cities week outside North America is an exciting opportunity and a perfect backdrop to welcome our international delegates who are coming from places as far away as India, the UK, Denmark, Ghana, Sweden and many countries throughout the Asia–Pacific,” Beck said.

Topics for discussion at the conference include:

• cybersecurity
• digital infrastructure for resilient cities
• innovation districts
• public spaces for the future
• improving social equity through tech and data
• smart, green buildings
• digital transformation of the property sector.
   

Event speakers include the City’s Sustainability Director, Chris Derksema, and Kate Deacon, the City’s Executive Manager of Strategy and Urban Analytics. In partnership with Austrade, the City will take a visiting international delegation on a tour of the new Green Square town centre and library.

Image courtesy of City of Sydney.

Please follow us and share on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe for FREE to our weekly newsletter and quarterly magazine.