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New York 2009

A Smartr Planet. Smarter Cities.

 

'For smart cities to succeed they need to be more than instrumented, interconnected and intelligent. They also need collaborative leaders who will lead by listening.'-Sam Palmisano, October 1, 2009, SmarterCities New York.

Highlights

In collaboration with the Partnership for New York City, The City University of New York and other organizations from the public, private and voluntary sectors, IBM convened more than 500 forward-thinking leaders from 25 countries on October 1-2, 2009, to explore how cities can become smarter.

Hosted by IBM Chairman and CEO Samuel J. Palmisano, SmarterCities New York featured keynote addresses from major political and business leaders, as well as a half-day peer-to-peer exchange, best-practice sharing and brainstorming session. Highlights from the program and event videos follow.

Working together we can build smarter cities. To make smarter cities a truly collaborative effort, IBM sought the guidance of senior leaders from America 2050, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Business for Social Responsibility, The City University of New York, Council of Foundations, Living Cities, Partnership for New York City, the Regional Plan Association and the Urban Land Institute.

New York 2009 agenda - Challenges. Realities. Opportunities.

Session I – A PLANET OF SMARTERCITIES
Our first session delved into what it would take to build smarter cities. In essence, our speakers and panelists underscored leadership, collaboration, standards, vision—and innovation. Watch the videos below for more.

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Session II – A VISION FOR SMARTERCITES
In this session some of our nation's top governors and lieutenant governors explored the design of state government and discussed how to modernize local systems in ways that will benefit the entire system.

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Session III – WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD A SMARTER CITY
Civic leaders are shaping their own leadership agendas, but they need practical plans to make their vision real. Here, IBM offered five steps cities can take to become smarter. ABB's CEO Joseph Hogan looked at the energy and utility considerations of smarter cities.

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THE SMARTERCITIES LEADERSHIP SERIES

During this morning session, participants broke up into smaller groups for structured discussions about the key systems that make up our cities—transportation, healthcare, education, public safety, government services, and energy and utilities.

  • + Smarter Healthcare
  • + Smarter Transportation
  • + Smarter Public Safety
  • + Smarter Energy & Utilities
  • + Smarter Education
  • + Smarter Government Services

Session IV – CULTURE AND THE SMARTER CITY
A smarter city is a cultured one. Whether through art, music, theater, dance, film, food or sports, culture adds vibrancy, draws acclaim, attracts new constituents and generates revenue and employment. More and more it is the difference between a stagnant city and a sustainable one. In this session, some of the leaders of our greatest cultural institutions discussed why it was important for city leaders to consider the role of culture in their cities.

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Session V – SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY
Forward-thinking city leaders are seizing the opportunity to make their cities, their regions and their countries smarter. The mayors of Atlanta, Charlotte, Phoenix and San Jose discussed their bold steps and imaginative approaches to designing smarter solutions. They commented on their infrastructure challenges and the long-term planning efforts required to address their cities' most pressing needs.

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Session VI – THE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE
As leaders, we all have a vital stake in ensuring that our cities become more resilient, more sustainable and more secure. Indeed, the health of our planet and of society depends on it. This session explored the challenge of leadership within a global context.

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Visit a smarter planet

See how the world is becoming instrumented, interconnected and intelligent