Winter in Vancouver

Cities Summit (5)

Doug Coupland gave a great keynote at lunch. As one twitter commentator put it, "massage for the mind especially for those people interested in the future of cities." Coupland talked at length about the need to differentiate one city from another. How? Culture, culture, culture. Seems obvious, but most public policy in Canada is still not as cognizant as it should be of the influence and benefits that can be gained from investing in the cultural infrastructure of cities. Coupland made a plea for supporting the arts. He talked about the radiating effects of cultural economies and showed how the great cities of the world understand this. A wonderful speech.

Cities Summit (4)

Going Digital: The 21st Century's City's Economic Edge

What are the business models and technology platforms that will create the next generation of digital infrastructure?

How can digital infrastructure generate economic growth?

Which existing and future industries will benefit from public investment in digital infrastructure?

Cities Summit (3)

The Mayor of Calgary gave a great example of the challenges in managing information for open access. He described how Calgary Transit used to keep private and confidential statistics about its performance. It was a revelation that providing information to the public would actually be a productive way of engaging with the public. It would also challenge them about their performance. This suggests that simple solutions to complex issues can often improve not only communications but also people's perceptions of their own civic roles.

Cities Summit (2)

Cities Summit

I am attending a summit in Vancouver in the future of cities (The Cities Summit). "Data is only useful when it is used to improve decision making." This from the Mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi. He is talking about the way cities budget and how they move from crisis to crisis using false methods of public consultation to actually prevent the policy process from changing. He is responding to the following three questions: Why do open city technologies make sense for tomorrow's cities? How do open city technologies improve the quality of life for citizens, yet retain their essential right to privacy? What are the leading international examples of big data deployment in cities?

These are crucial questions that are at the heart of new forms of information exchange not only in cities but in all organizations. The costs of doing this are high, the benefits are extraordinary. Information transparency enable and empowers.