Smart and Open Cities, Successful Citizens

New technologies are transforming our daily lives, and bit by bit, they are also changing the face of the world’s major cities. Experts on all continents engage and collaborate to build smarter and more open cities in an effort to better serve citizens and improve their quality of life.

It seems only natural then for “Smart Cities” to be one of the central themes of the XII Metropolis World Congress, a gathering of approximately 1,000 local stakeholders from around the world, which will take place from June 19 to 22 in Montreal.

Elected officials, public decision-makers, experts, entrepreneurs and academics alike will weigh in on the use of new technologies to develop ever-improving urban services, whether from the perspective of governance, infrastructures, local services, economic development or mobility.

Renowned experts

Louis Zacharilla, Co-Founder of the Intelligent Community Forum, Alexandre Taillefer, Managing Partner at XPND Capital and Founder of Téo Taxi, Canada’s first all-electric taxi service, along with Jean-Noé Landry, Executive Director of Open North and noted expert in open data, will be among the speakers to offer their perspectives on these questions.

One discussion session will also be entirely devoted to the issue of open data and governance. Participants will discuss how making city data open can offer potential benefits for the purposes of business, innovation, transparency and efficiency.

Tangible benefits

Among the issues to be discussed, delegates will examine the possible benefits of transparency as a measure to reduce corruption. The experience of the Mexican city of Guadalajara will be a focal point of the discussion.

Montreal, the host city, will also be highlighted. The example of the Quartier de l’innovation (Innovation District), a joint initiative by the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), McGill University, Concordia University and l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), will be the topic of its own workshop.

Lastly, a lab will focus on blockchain technology, which allows cities to implement “intelligent contracts” and develop more efficient mobile applications.

Montreal, a city that is already well established as a hub of digital technology, strives to become an internationally recognized leader among intelligent and digital cities. The XII Metropolis World Congress represents another step in that direction.