Symposium dates: November 28 29, 2017
Abstracts due: June 16, 2017
Notification of Abstract Acceptance: July 14, 2017
Extended abstracts due: October 15, 2017
Email to: agbe@udel.edu & okine@udel.edu
Conference Venue: Clayton Hall, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States of America.
Motivation
To promote principles of democratic governance as essential elements of smart city ecosystems and sustainable energy solutions in the global South.
Background
Well-governed cities have long advanced human civilization in their role as hubs of innovation, economic growth, improvements in health, and general well-being of communities. Since the beginning of the 20th century, cities have experienced unprecedented growth. Today, they account for more than 70% of global energy consumption and about 80% of carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, rapid urbanization, especially in the global South, has been accompanied by inadequate physical infrastructure and social services, unemployment, and vulnerability to climate change, to name a few. In recent years, solutions to these challenges have been guided by the idea of a smart city. Several cities across the world (e.g. Barcelona, Masdar, Copenhagen, London, Seoul, Singapore, among others) are claiming smart city status, having deployed urban development strategies, policies and financial incentives generally associated with smart city initiatives. A growing number of cities in the global South spanning Latin America, Asia, Africa and Small Island Developing States are pursuing their own smart city visions and road maps. The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change provided an impetus in this direction by emphasizing the importance of eco-polycentric and diffused governance actions at the city level, where smart buildings, smart transportation and mobility, and smarter energy distribution play critical roles.
Objectives
The symposium will: a) raise awareness of dominant concepts guiding smart city initiatives; b) assess the roles of existing and emerging technologies such as big data, internet of things and sustainable energy systems; c) deepen understanding of factors that determine the adoption of smart city and sustainable energy concepts, policies and practices; and d) build consensus around the essential features of democratic smart city governance.
Organizers
Lawrence Agbemabiese, Energy and Environmental Program, University of Delaware
agbe@udel.edu
Nii Attoh-Okine, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware
okine@udel.edu
