Held every two years, The World Urban Forum (WUF) is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanization. From June 26 to June 30, the 11th WUF (WUF11) received participants representing 155 countries who attended the event in person or virtually. More than 700 speakers shared their knowledge and experiences on urban development in over 400 events at the conference centre in Katowice, Poland.
UNITAC Hamburg hosted one of the main events at the Urban Playground, a space for interaction and innovation where several initiatives from UN-Habitat and partners were showcased. During "Digital Tools for Sustainable Cities" an overview of the partnership, projects and a live demo of the tool developed with the city of eThekwini were presented. All of this in front of an audience that was able to ask questions and interact directly with members of the team.
One of the highlights of the event was the Special Session on People-Centered and Green Technology and Innovation, which focused on how smart cities can generate inclusive change. Speakers discussed how local governments could use new international guidelines for more inclusive cities.
UNITAC also participated in “Championing #Digital4LivableCities: Digital Solutions for the Common Good” an event organised by The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) on citizen-centred approaches in smart cities. The panelists, including our Academic Lead, Gesa Ziemer, discussed on ethical and socially responsible data use, co-creation as well as open, interoperable standards and municipal data platforms.
Image source: BMZ
The next edition of the World Urban Forum (WUF12) will be held in Cairo, Egypt.