Summary of the Event
The event kicked off at 7am GMT with a morning yoga video performed by Adriene.The Virtual Symposium hosted over 25 renowned sustainability leaders, environmentalists, researchers, specialists on health, botanic conservation, resource management sustainable agriculture and building from around the world. Speaker such as Jeffrey Sachs, Adenike Akinsemolu, Marc Rosen, amongst others share their insights on our path towards sustainable development.
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Jonathan Reichental is the CEO of Human Future, a global business and technology education, advisory, and investment firm.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Olukoya Obafemi is an architect with many years of professional practice in architecture and construction.
Q & A (SELECTED)
Olukoya Obafemi: How has the global positioning system (GPS) engendered urban innovation towards sustainable development?
Jonathan Reichental: Isn’t GPS incredible, it’s impossible to imagine a world without it. The GPS satellite allows the pinning of information from the satellite down to the receiver. The receiver then knows its position. Using GPS, we can observe and understand what happens with natural disaster like flooding, earthquake, oil spillage, sessimic activities. The GPS infrastructure has been used in managing the very sad logging going on in the world where rich, beautiful forests are been turned down, GPS can be used to understand if it’s been done in a fair way or excessive way that could cause problems. GPS is used in understanding the migration of animals as we can track endangered species or poaches. Then we can do remedation activities if it is seen that group of animals are shrinking or moving to where they shouldn’t be, that’s an indicator of climate and environmental issues. Finally, GPS is used for understanding the health of our planet vegetation. So, GPS becomes a very rich and mature technology for us to build into and utilize for better understanding and manage the environment.
Olukoya Obafemi: In her text The Principles of Green and Sustainability Science, Dr. Adenike briefly explained the importance of sustainable cities in achieving economic growth. How can these cities accelerate urban innovation, and what is the role of data in building these cities?
Olukoya Obafemi: First of all, in every endeavor the first starting point is to have vision. A bold journey you want to go with a desired out. You’ve to choose to have that vision. Do you understand why it is, why it is needed? Secondly, we need leadership, the problem of the world today would have been solved if we choose to solve them and that’s leadership decision we need to make. We can use data more, first by choosing that pathway and then leaders to support it throughout because a successful project depends on the consistency of the leader. Identify the data you have and then understand what kind of data it is, is it protective data? Once of the decision is made, make it available. Another way is for the city to create an innovative lab.
Finally, make the budgeting information of the plans available to your community in order to let communities know how their money is being spent. Fortunately, they would have better understanding of what is going on and they might have something to say. Bringing your community into the budgeting process through data is a way to foster flourishing urbanization.
Courtey (Audience): How do we trust Government with data? Transparent it is difficult
Jonathan Reichental: This is a deep question and a difficult one to solve. The best way to manage dishonesty is to shine a light on it. With people when things are transparent, it’s harder to get away with stuffs. Transparency to open up data, a health journalist community is good to reveal whether there are problems and organizations are doing the right thing.
Quotes
“GPS becomes a very rich and mature technology for us to build into and utilize for better understanding and manage the environment.”
“Bringing your community into the budgeting process through data is a way to foster flourishing urbanization.”
FURTHER READING
Jonathan Reichental. (2020). Smart Cities For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)). John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Thakuriah, Vonu & Tilahun, Nebiyou & Zellner, Moira. (2015). Big Data and Urban Informatics: Innovations and Challenges to Urban Planning and Knowledge Discovery.