Global Leaders at Smart City Expo Miami

Sustainable is the new smart! Global leaders converge for first day of Smart City Expo Miami

We don’t just need smart cities. We need our smart cities to be sustainable.

That was the general consensus during the first full day of the Smart City Expo Miami , which took place virtually and in person at the James L. Knight Conference Center in Downtown Miami.

Upwards of 100 global innovators attended to discuss and share perspectives on how we can build the next generation of environmentally-conscious cities.

Developing a vision for the future of Miami

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava kicked off the conference by painting a picture of how the county can become a world leader in terms of both sustainability and tech innovation.

“Miami is the city with the greatest promise, and the greatest challenges,” she said, with reference to our tech and environmental ecosystems.?

“We’re going to address these heads on,” asserted Levine Cava, underscoring the importance of leveraging tech innovations such as ClimateTech, HealthTech, and FinTech.?

Levine Cava shared her framework for developing a local economy that is inclusive, equitable, resilient, and collaborative. Under Levine Cava’s leadership, Miami-Dade County has hired a wide range of climate resilient-focused leaders, including a Chief Heat Officer.

“All of this requires smart city innovators,” said Levine Cava, expressing a particular interest to collaborate with entrepreneurs and other public servants across the South Florida region.

From Miami to Rotterdam

Miami is not alone in its quest to become a smart city hub. In a wide-ranging conversation, City of Rotterdam (the Netherlands) Chief Digital Officer Bas Boorsma outlined his city’s vision for leveraging tech to forge a sustainable future.

“We want cities that are liveable and equitable,” he said. But how do we get there? To start: understand the needs of your local area, craft a shared language that all citizens understand, and aim to build denser cities.

Boorsma highlighted the value of collaborating with all stakeholders –?especially those actually interacting with the spaces designers are creating. “Bring people in so they can co-design cities with us,” he said.

In Rotterdam, the city has taken to the metaverse to help determine the best path forward for building the cities of the future.?

“We are building a digital twin – powered by an open urban data platform – for the entire city,” Boorsma explained. “This is not just a gadget for developers. This is an environment in which you can invite citizens into the virtual city and have them co-decide on critical things.” This includes critical planning decisions.

Smart cities must be resilient

Jonathan Reichental, CEO of Human Future, zoomed out to impart the value of focusing on resilience when thinking about smart city development.

“Smart cities are resilient cities,” he asserted, noting that the pandemic showed just how critical it is for cities to be able to bounce back from unexpected challenges.

“It’s all about resilience,” said Reichental. “Are the things we’re doing strengthening resilience? Is resilience front of mind? Resilience and sustainability have to be a part of everything we do to improve people’s quality of life.”

But where should city leaders start? “We can’t do everything, so take a risk-based approach,” Reichental suggested. And this approach can have major positive impacts, he claimed, citing the pedestrianization of New York’s Times Square, which created up to a 40% reduction in dangerous incidents.

Miss out on today’s sessions? Not to fear!?

Stop by tomorrow – online or at Miami’s Knight Center – for another packed day of Smart City innovators.?

Highlights include:

• Kyiv Miami Mayor Vitali Klotschko on building a future proof sustainable and resilient city
• Paul Doherty on smart cities, and the effect on our future
• Co-creating a collectively regenerative blue economy, featuring social entrepreneurs Daniel Kleinman and Anya Freeman
• An open call for municipalities with a prepaid $100,000 pilot project
• An expo featuring booths from some of the world’s leading smart city innovators
• Ample networking opportunities with entrepreneurs, public officials, and the innovation-focused members of the public
• …and much, much more.

See you tomorrow!