Barcelona, 9 July 2014: UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Aisa Kacyira, has said that we can improve governance in our cities and urban areas by harnessing the power of information technology.
Speaking at a conference on technology in Barcelona, Spain, Ms Kacyira said that with the world’s growing population, the number of youth in cities was also growing along with access to affordable information communication technology.
“We have seen the dramatic changes that can occur when these trends merge,” said Ms Kacyira, “Sweeping societal transformation that can recast the relationship between citizens and their governments.”
The Fab City Symposium took place at the beginning of the week at the Disseny Hub Barcelona. The one-day event focused on the principles, applications and implications of digital fabrication, with special focus on rethinking the role of technology, policy and society in the development of self-sufficiency strategies for productive cities.
The symposium centred on four key areas of debate: Advanced research on Digital Fabrication; the role of industry and corporations at this time of change; the potential social impact of new technologies; and the governance of innovation and technology in future cities.
Xavier Trias, Mayor of the City of Barcelona led the closing ceremony with other mayors from major cities of the world in participation.
This article originally appeared in the UN-HABITAT website: http://unhabitat.org/harness-it-to-improve-urban-governance-kacyira/
File photo of Dr. Aisa Kacyira courtesy of UN-HABITAT.
