CTG UAlbany Director headed to Portugal

May 28, 2018

Center for Technology in Government at the University at Albany (CTG UAlbany) Director Theresa Pardo will participate in the Future Trends Forum (FTF) focusing on Technologies Disrupting Cities near Lisbon, Portugal from May 30-June 1.

The forum, hosted by the Bankinter Innovation Foundation, is an international, multidisciplinary think tank focused on innovation. FTF aims to anticipate future trends in innovation and analyze the impact on society and business models.

Over 40 international experts on technological innovation and the impacts on society are expected to participate this year. Overall, the focus of the forum will be on how cities around the world are currently operating and how those municipalities will change in the future. 

The underlying question will be, “At the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos, the WEF has released its index about quality of life of cities in G20 countries. The index number is set to 100 today. In 2028, what will be the value of this index?” 

Participants will first discuss the evolution of city life including current changes in living and working conditions. Presentations about challenges cities are confronting will follow those initial talks with focuses on: Transportation, Gentrification & Affordable Housing, Infrastructure, Cyber and Physical Security, and Employment.

With that knowledge still fresh, experts will then work in groups to take on the hypothetical role of a newly elected Mayor speaking with a fictional city council and staff (controllers/planners/services) about finding solutions to those challenges. 

After that, participants will talk about possible solutions – which they may or may not have used in the fictitious city – including, “The Data City,” that uses sensors, open data, the Internet of Things, open architecture and interfaces to help its citizens. Governance and partnership models will also be presented. 

A full list of activities can be found on the foundation’s website.

“Here at CTG UAlbany we take in as many points of view when it comes to the impacts and future of innovations,” Pardo said. “It is crucial to get the perspective of the international community to go along with the domestic point of view.”

According to its website, the Bankinter Innovation Foundation, “works to promote the creation of sustainable wealth in Spain through innovation and entrepreneurship…the Innovation Foundation has the vocation to turn innovation and entrepreneurship into critical tools for creating value in Spanish society, embracing innovation from all possible perspectives.”