NEW DELHI, India, September 13, 2017 –With half of the planet’s population concentrated in cites, mobility has become more complicated in Asia due to increasing gridlock, congestion and ailing mass transit systems that are struggling to keep pace with the region’s rapid economic development. This demands fundamentally changing today’s transportation paradigm for cities to effectively absorb an influx of people that will enhance the freedom of movement and quality of life that residents have come to expect.
Ford‘s inaugural ‘City of Tomorrow’ symposium in Asia, brings together a broad range of global experts and stakeholders to discuss the key issues our cities face, emerging solutions and new possibilities for urban development. The symposium is a part of a global series of engaging forums hosted by Ford in Detroit and San Francisco earlier this year. A distinguished group of leaders in design, technology, urban planning and public policy will share their perspective on what it will take to develop a connected, smarter eco-system to meet Asia’s future mobility needs.
Visionaries and notable speakers at the symposium will include Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog who is driving significant efforts to develop India’s smarter cities initiatives; Antoni Vives, the man behind the transformation of the city of Barcelona; Clay Stranger, a principal at the Rocky Mountain Institute in the United States, a nonprofit that is working with the Indian government to develop new strategies around electrification infrastructure; Raman Roy, Nasscom Chairman, will be among the opinion leaders who will share their diverse views on mobility.
“Solving the complex transportation issues cities around the world are facing requires collaboration, creative thinking and partnership. Ford is committed to being a partner to cities, and the City of Tomorrow Symposium in New Delhi brings together a broad range of stakeholders and is an important step in designing the future of mobility in Asia.” said Rajendra Raj Rao, CEO, Ford Smart Mobility LLC, who will be opening the City of Tomorrow symposium.
A unique platform for a thought-provoking day:
Ford’s City of Tomorrow will be a full-day symposium to be convened on the 20th September, 2017 at Andaz by Hyatt in Delhi.
The four key sessions include:
Keynote Address: Rajendra Raj Rao, CEO of Ford Smart Mobility LLC, will outline what is driving new mobility initiatives around the world and the development of the City of Tomorrow.
In-Conversation – Smarter Cities of the Future: a fireside chat between Amitabh Kant and Rajendra Raj Rao on how stakeholders can come together to build large-scale sustainable urban communities.
TED Talks: Global experts will share inspiring ideas and experiences that explore mobility through distinctive lenses — such as growing our own cities; the human vascular system as a metaphor for transportation; forging new paths beyond tradition; and transporting skills and technology to all corners of the world. TED speakers include transportation expert Wannis Kabbaj, Terreform ONA co-founder, Mitch Joachim, mountaineers and explorers Nungshi Malik and Tashi Malik, and Barefoot College International CEO Meagan Fallone.
Life in the City of Tomorrow: A conversation that aims to present consumers’ point of view on life in urban areas and touch on some of the challenges that will need to be overcome through innovation to help make life better. This session will involve panelists including Ford’s Global Trend Manager and Futurist Sheryl Connelly, Zoomcar CEO Greg Moran, Boston Consulting Group’s Seema Bansal, among others.
The City of Tomorrow – A Business Perspective: Panelists including Ford’s Asia Pacific director for strategy Jeffrey Jones, Antoni Vives, Raman Roy, Clay Stranger and others will discuss the challenges faced by society, communities and business and how businesses plan to address these challenges as this new era in mobility takes shape.
At the event, attendees can participate and experience life in the City of Tomorrow through virtual reality technologies.
