Leaders from local government and technology entrepreneurs including five international speakers are gathering in Cairns this week to discuss the latest ideas and insights into how cities and regional communities can respond to the needs of their residents and be globally competitive by making the most out of technological advances and data analytics.
The Future Cities, Smart Communities summit, organised by the Local Government Association of Queensland, will feature presentations and discussions from some of the world’s leading champions of using technology to understand how best to guide the development of urban places.
LGAQ President Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said the event followed on from the first successful Future Cities summit in 2016.
Two years ago, the questions we were asking were about how technology could change our cities and were focussed on infrastructure and transport and how local government can best position their communities to benefit from the innovation and better connectivity,” he said.
“Today, the questions councils are asking are more about what resources they themselves have to take advantage of advances in data science to build more prosperous and vibrant communities.”
Speakers at the summit include chief executive of the Singapore Land Authority Boon Khai Tan, Queensland’s chief entrepreneur Steve Baxter and futurist Chris Riddell.
Topics up for discussion range from the future of transport to the uses for emerging blockchain technology to help plan for and guide the growth of cities.
The summit will run until 13 July at the Cairns Convention Centre.
Follow discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #LGFuture18.