From hydrogen powered heavy vehicles to recycled glass pavements, autonomous helicopters, big data and AI, every possible form of energy generation and management systems, to the humble bicycle, the 2024 Smart Cities World Expo and Congress (#SCWEC24) had more innovation than one could ever imagine. And whilst it’s easy to be in awe of tech, what is fundamental to the success of a Smart City is people; their ability to collaborate, to inspire vision and to lead.
A feature of almost every presentation at #SCWEC24 was the impact of climate change on cities and communities, both now and into the future. There is a sense of urgency around the world that the time is now for us collectively to reduce emissions and curb the impact of the planet’s rising temperatures.
With the devastation of the Valencia floods very much in the front of people’s minds, more and more prevalent extreme weather events are impacting cities of all sizes, all around the world. Many of the conference presentations were focused on the initiatives, technologies and the human factors being developed and adapted to help reduce emissions and keep global warming to the Paris Agreement of below 2 degrees Celsius of warming.
The Expo and Congress attracted over 25,500 attendees, from 180 countries, with 850 cities represented – including Ballarat as Australia’s only city on stage.
Smart cities are those that work together and are creating a holistic approach to quality of life. They share their learnings and they seek to elevate urban and regional living. Committee for Ballarat members, look to collectively lead and advocate for investment in the infrastructure and social capital to ensure we make the most of our opportunity to elevate the regional environment we are all part of.