The world's urban population is expected to increase by 60 per cent between 2014 and 2050, when 6.3 billion people are projected to live in urban settlements. New insights and solutions are urgently needed in order to manage the scarce resources that will be impacted by this trend, as well as operate new and regenerated urban spaces.

New generations of sensor networks, Big Data analytics, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications are being deployed in public and privately managed physical spaces to meet these requirements, though many challenges remain. Municipal governments around the world are currently formulating their Smart City strategies, and now is the time to engage and learn from industry peers at the forefront of this key trend.
The Smart Cities International Symposium and Exhibition, January 24-25, 2017 in Chicago (www.smartcities-symposium.com) will bring together key thought leaders and practitioners from around the world to explore the most recent technology advances, business models, and lessons learned to date in making the Smart City a reality. The proceedings will focus on the experiences of municipal governments who are pushing the envelope and moving toward actual implementation of the Smart City vision. The emphasis is on implementation strategy, case studies, best practices, and the development of compelling business models for transitioning to the intelligent, connected city of the 21st Century.

Key topics to be addressed over the course of the two-day Symposium include:

• Leveraging the smart energy grid for other municipal applications
• Smart lighting advances, platforms and business models
• Smart transportation and parking
• Environmental monitoring and waste management
• IoT applications and communications networks for enabling the Smarter City
• Learning from the leaders: key smart city developments around the world
• Market trends and growth drivers: challenges and opportunities
• Phased, cost-effective approaches: efficiency measures that can fund additional steps
• Building a culture of performance via data analytics and benchmarking
• Enhancing sustainability, accessibility and livability
• Key emerging technologies and applications 

“This will be a unique opportunity to zero in on how to enable and finance key smart city initiatives,” says Daniel Coran, editor of the Smart Grid Observer and program manager for the Symposium. “The goal is to have top practitioners and municipal leaders talk about their experiences and clarify of what is working, how best to execute, and how to pay for it.” 

The speaking roster for the international Symposium includes such leaders as:

• Kip Harkness, Deputy Manager, Civic Innovation and Digital Strategy, City of San Jose
• Bas Boorsma, Director, Internet of Everything & City Digitization, North Europe
• Cisco Sam Edelstein, Chief Data Officer, City of Syracuse
• Otto Doll, Chief Information Officer, City of Minneapolis
• Don DeLoach, President & CEO, Infobright
• Adam Hecktman, Director, Technology & Civic Innovation Chicago, Microsoft
• Michael Jansen, CEO and Founder,CityZenith Corp.
• G. Scott Stallard, VP, Energy Business, Black & Veatch
• Eric Roche, Chief Data Officer, Kansas City
• Amy Jewel, LEED AP O+M, Senior City Advisor, City Energy Project, Chicago
• Gary Graham, Director of Energy Management, Cushman Wakefield
• Paul J. Matthews, Asst. VP Campus Planning & Operations, Roosevelt University
• Russ Vanos, VP, Sales & Marketing, Itron
• Meghan Cook, Director, Center for Technology in Government, University of Albany
• Patty Durand, CEO, Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative
• Dr. Alfred Tat-Kei Ho, School of Public Affairs and Administration, University of Kansas

 “For municipalities at the early stage of their smart city planning, this will be a great opportunity to develop solid strategies for success,” Coran adds. “Building off real-world experiences and lessons learned to date is critical.” 

The Symposium is organized by the Smart Grid Observer (www.smartgridobserver.com), an online publication that delivers the latest news and information on a daily basis concerning key developments, deployment updates, and market trends in the smart grid and energy storage industries. 

For full information regarding the Symposium and to register, visit www.smartcities-symposium.com.