How can cities build new alliances to tackle global challenges?
Today’s global order - a hierarchy of nation-states - fails to address effectively problem finding and solution making. However, the challenges of our time cannot merely be faced at the local level. Cities have to reconnect with each other. Cities are the link, they are the centre and the margin of a larger social structure. By connecting cities and initiatives in networks, driven not only by institutions but by collectives and individuals, they will be able to give support to each other in replicating and scaling solutions that work. Now we want to take this one step further: Networks of cities already exist, but today they lack political power. Could networks of cities become the precursors of something bigger, yet to be invented? For the third day of the OuiShare Fest
, our final call is: cities of the world, unite!
SPEAKERS BUILDING NETWORKS
Tomas Diez, as Co-founder of Fab City Research Laboratory, is building a network of globally connected and locally sufficient cities. Anil Gupta, as the Founder of the Honey Bee Network, encourages knowledge dissemination, cross-pollination of ideas, creativity and grassroots movements across 70 countries. Manuela Yamada, as Partner of MateriaBrasil, is helping to share knowledge about materials, processes and socially responsible technologies, creating the biggest open source material library platform in Latin America. Jean-Marc Gancille, as Founder of Darwin Ecosystem, is promoting hybrid spaces for responsible economic development, social entrepreneurship, ecological transition and civic activism. Tomas de Lara, as Co-leader of Sistema B, is working on new forms of organisations that foster eco-centric and purpose-driven businesses. Chris McCormick, as Managing Director at Splint, explores how interpersonal communication affects everyday life at work in different cultures, across roles and hierarchy. Dylan Hendricks, as Program Director of Ten-year Forecast, looks for new ways to communicate the trends and paradigms that are transforming the fabric of twenty-first-century life.
SPARKS OF INSPIRATION: A FEW READING (AND WATCHING) SUGGESTIONS TO GET THE CONVERSATION STARTED
In this inspiring talk, the late Benjamin Barber explains why global problems could be solved faster If mayors ruled the world, TED.
Parag Khanna explains in his latest book How Hyperconnected Cities Are Taking Over the World, this article by Tanvi Misra gives you the main ideas and examples behind it. CityLab Beppe Caccia quickly presents the historical and political role European cities have had for centuries and explores the beginning of A European network of rebel cities, Open Democracy Adam Frank presents the major understandings and examples of Marina Alberti's book Can We Build Cities That Think Like A Planet? That talks about complexity, resilience, and innovation in hybrid ecosystems. Don't forget to get your early bird ticket before June 1st! Visit our site for more information about the program and our speakers. Hope to see you this July at the OuiShare Fest!