Thinking Cities

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URL = http://ericsson.com/networkedsociety


Description

"The documentary 'Thinking Cities' deals with one of the most dramatic societal trends happening today: urbanization. The world population is expected to soar to more than 9 billion people by 2050, with roughly 70 percent living in cities. At the same time, Information Communications Technology (ICT) is extending its reach.

These parallel trends are intersecting at a time in which the world faces serious economic, environmental, and social challenges in achieving a more sustainable development. Thinking Cities explores the challenges and opportunities of urbanization in the Networked Society." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ctxP6Dp8Bk&feature=share)


Discussion

David Ing:

"Thinking Cities deals with one of the most dramatic societal trends happening today: urbanization. The world population is expected to soar to more than 9 billion people by 2050, with roughly 70 percent living in cities. At the same time, Information Communications Technology (ICT) is extending its reach. These parallel trends are intersecting at a time in which the world faces serious economic, environmental, and social challenges in achieving a more sustainable development.


Thinking Cities explores the challenges and opportunities of urbanization in the Networked Society together with leading city thinkers including Geoffrey West, physicist and professor at Santa Fe Institute; Mathieu Lefevre of New Cities Foundation and Carlo Ratti, Director of MIT Senseable City Lab.

“There’s an enormous realization of the importance of cities. That is true for business, it’s true for government, it’s true for civil society.” So says one of the speakers in Thinking Cities (made by Ericsson as part of their Networked Society series), which you can watch above. As Geoffrey West, a scientist who studies cities, notes in the film, cities are the cause of many of the world’s problems, but are also hubs of innovation that are going to drive the solutions.


Thinking Cities features thought leaders like West, a physicist and professor at Santa Fe Institute; Mathieu Lefevre of New Cities Foundation; and Carlo Ratti, Director of MIT’s Senseable City Lab speaking on what the city means for the future while we take a tour of some of the most innovative smart city projects–from tracking trash to tagging potholes–that are going on in the world today.


Take a look. As one city evangelist says: “The city’s role is to make as easy as possible for people … to live in a smart and sustainable way.” They also tend to make their residents happier. For these and countless other reasons enumerated in the video, cities are the living area of the future. Now it’s time to make them worth the hype." (http://daviding.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/geoffrey-west-mathieu-levefre-carlo-ratti-thinking-cities-documentary-web-video-networked-society-series-ericsson/)