A new Future in cities is coming. Nobody knows how it will be called: smart cities, resilient cities, green cities, sustainable cities… Everybody however agrees that how it will be called, will actually no matter. The transformation is happening and will happen faster than ever, maybe faster that we can even think of. Individuals and business will be concerned being now the right moment to take decisions.
For the smart purpose of getting closer to the future cities the Spanish Swedish Chamber of Commerce and the Austrian Business Circle Barcelona joined energies for an event together in IESE Barcelona last 6.2.2018.
At 19:00 in IESE Barcelona attendants at the event took a two hours challenging journey into this Smart World through the knowledge and experience of great speakers:
Alexander Heichlinger, Chair CEFG Group European Institute of Public Administration.
Sònia Cañizares, Catalonia Public Sector and Healthcare Account Executive Manager, Microsoft.
Sílvia Salmeron, Quality & Environmental Manager for Iberia, Essity (former SCA).
Professor Joan Ricart, IESE Business School.
Attendants while travelling in a Smart train could see through window lot of new or challenging words, ideas and concepts that were brought into live thanks to the inspiring presentation of our speakers:
Resilient Cities, Open Data, Artificial intelligent Revolution, Soustainable Logistics, Safer Cities, Smart Government, Circular Economy, Industry 4.0, strategic Urban planning…
A PhD essay could be written for each concept. Those words seemed to become something beyond just words but the keys to open this Smart new world.
Often the approach to Smart Cities is made by academic world, who seemed for some people sailing outside of the real world among non-achievable goals. In that sense University and academic Institutions are playing a great job to make us dream. In fact, there will be probably not better world without such dream based on academic grounds.
In the event, however, the attendants had the privilege to mix two different approaches: on the on hand, an international business, represented by Microsoft and the Swedish multinational Essity (Former SCA), and on the other hand, the academic and institutional.
So, Microsoft let us know his business concept for public administration and explained about real smart experiences in Cities over the world improving for instance, health, education and safety through his smart products and projects.
Essity explained us about new real Smart products, which can be already purchased such as Tork EasyCube and Tenaidentifi introduce technology in traditional products to improve the Health of individuals and cities in global perspective. Tenaidentifi uses sensor devices that empowers caregivers with evidence-based continence planning for better clinical outcomes.
No cities want to be “Dumb”, all cities are already called themselves as Smart cities. Therefore, the speakers suggested to escape from standard concepts and go into the real improvement of quality of life in a world where is foreseen that more than 66% of world population will live in cities.
The IESE Professor ends his presentation with the acute genious of Mafalda. In my last words as event moderator I could not improve that, but however I could end the Smart city event with some clarifications for the future:
Vikings had not horns in helmet,
There are no kangaroos in Austria,
No Smart World would be possible without Smart people as our speakers!!!
David Elvira, PhD
