University of Delaware Symposium on Smart Cities and Sustainable Energy: November 28-29, 2017
University of Delaware Symposium on Smart Cities and Sustainable Energy: November 28-29, 2017

Promoting principles of democratic governance as essential elements of smart city ecosystems and sustainable energy solutions in the global South.

Welcome

Well-governed cities have long advanced human civilization in their role as hubs of innovation, economic growth, improvements in health and general well-being of communities. Since the beginning of the 20th century, cities have experienced unprecedented growth. Today, they account for more than 70 percent of global energy consumption and about 80 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, rapid urbanization, especially in the global South, has been accompanied by inadequate physical infrastructure and social services, unemployment, and vulnerability to climate change, to name a few.

In recent years, solutions to these challenges have been guided by the idea of a “smart city.” Several cities across the world (e.g. Barcelona, Masdar, Copenhagen, London, Seoul, Singapore, among others) are claiming smart city status, having deployed urban development strategies, policies and financial incentives generally associated with smart city initiatives. A growing number of cities in the global South — spanning Latin America, Asia, Africa and Small Island Developing States — are pursuing their own smart city visions and road maps. The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change provided an impetus in this direction by emphasizing the importance of eco-polycentric and diffused governance actions at the city level, where smart buildings, smart transportation and mobility, and smarter energy distribution play critical roles.

The symposium will:

  • Raise awareness of dominant concepts guiding smart city initiatives
  • Assess the roles of existing and emerging technologies such as big data, the Internet of Things and sustainable energy systems
  • Deepen understanding of factors that determine the adoption of smart city and sustainable energy concepts, policies and practices
  • Build consensus around the essential features of democratic smart city governance.

 

Conference Topics

Defining smart cities and sustainable energy

Despite its widespread use, there is considerable disagreement on the meaning of the phrase “smart city.” What are the major concepts, practices and values guiding smart city programs? Interpretations have ranged from the abstract to the concrete. Some define the smart city as a “sociotechnical system of systems.” Others focus on technology and infrastructure aspects. A common thread running through the full spectrum of meanings is the centrality of energy as a challenge and opportunity to deliver the core functions of any city. A fundamental question arises: How well integrated are issues of energy sustainability in smart city endeavors?

Big data technologies and innovative financing

An important metric of a city’s smartness is the capacity of city management systems to generate, analyze and utilize enormous amounts of data about people’s living conditions, lifestyles and activities. However, such capabilities also enable biometric surveillance and automated policing as standard features of increasingly “intelligent” infrastructures and “nervous systems” of cities. What guidelines/standards are required to address these and other threats to human privacy and freedom? What institutional innovations are needed to enable cities to address these issues? Mobilizing financing for smart city technologies is a major challenge in the global South. What are the most promising success stories in terms of innovative financing of smart city initiatives, and how replicable are these?

Adoption of smart city concepts and policies in the global South

Research has shown that adoption of “smart city” concepts such as theme-based innovation districts, energy and water synergy parks, blue-green infrastructure, or automated monitoring and verification (M&V) depend on factors such as the level of economic development, the degree of fluidity in decision making and other properties of cities including location, population size and density. Although the general idea of a smart city originated from the high-income economies of the global North, several countries in the South have initiated similar urban development strategies. What are the main drivers behind the adoption of smart city and sustainable energy concepts and policies in the global South?

Democratic governance and the smart city

Smart city policies and programs in most developing countries have been promoted and controlled by a minority of dominant business and political interests including international property developers, domestic politicians and elites. For the most part, these stakeholders subscribe to entrepreneurial urbanization models promising quick economic and political returns to smart city investments. Given this context, what are the constraints to, and prospects for, generating new social networks and vibrant ecologies of intellectual capital by which ordinary citizens can actively engage in smart city planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation? What are the main indicators of democratic smart city governance?

Join Us

November 28-29, 2017

REGISTER TODAY!

UD Organizing Committee

  • Lawrence Agbemabiese: Co-Chair
  • Nii Attoh-Okine: Co-Chair
  • Andrea Sarzynski
  • Andreas Malikopoulos
  • Daniel Rich
  • David Wilson
  • Gretchen Bauer
  • Ismat Shah
  • Jeffrey Richardson
  • John Byrne
  • John McNutt
  • Kim Bothi
  • Lado Kurdgelashvili
  • Maria Aristigueta
  • Philip Barnes
  • Robert Opila
  • Saleem Ali

Intl Advisory Committee

  • Carlo Ratti,
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America.
  • Edwardo Moreno,
    UN-Habitat, Kenya.
  • Jesse Manuta,
    Foundation for the Philippine Environment, Philippines.
  • Kwasi Adarkwa,
    Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.
  • Kyung-Jin Boo,
    College of Engineering, Seoul National University.
  • Mark Radka,
    United Nations Environment, France.
  • Tze-Luen Lin,
    National Taiwan University, Taiwan.
  • Xueman Wang,
    World Bank, United States of America.
  • Yacob Mulugetta,
    University College London, United Kingdom.
  • Youba Sokona,
    The South Center, Switzerland.

Registration

Smart Cities and Sustainable Energy

Tuesday and Wednesday, November 28-29, 2017

LOCATION: Trabant University Center Theatre

University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716

2017 Smart Cities & Sustainable Energy Registration
First
Last
Must be in the following format: 000-000-0000

 

 

 

Sending

Conference Venue

Trabant Trabant University Center Theatre
at the University of Delaware

University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716

Phone: 302-831-2214

Directions >

Train information: http://www.amtrak.com/home

Shuttle service: Delaware Express Shuttle

 

 

 

Hotel Reservations

Book your hotel reservation online at the Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware. You may also call the hotel directly.

 

Courtyard Newark-University of DelawareCourtyard Newark-University of Delaware
400 David Hollowell Drive
Newark DE 19716
(302) 737-0900 or
Central Reservations at (800) 321-2211

The Courtyard offers a courtesy shuttle to/from Wilmington Train Station. Please call (302) 737-0900 to set up your shuttle reservation, include your name and pick up & drop off times from Wilmington train station. Make sure you leave a contact number where you can be reached. It’s best to reserve ahead of time, shuttle reservation book fills up very quickly.

The following list of additional accommodations that are within a five-fifteen minute drive of the University. Click here >

 

 

 

TENATIVE AGENDA

 

TIMEACTIVITY

DAY ONE: November 28, 2017
8 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.
REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST
9 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS
  • Charles Riordan, Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Innovation, University of Delaware
  • Babatunde Ogunnaike, Dean, College of Engineering, University of Delaware
10 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
GLOBAL URBANIZATION, CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABILITY
  • "Cities, energy and climate change: Understanding the challenge"
    Andrea Sarzynski,     Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware
  • Chandrasekar Govindarajalu, Team Leader, Clean Energy, International Finance Corporation, Washington D.C.
  • "Extended morality considerations for sustainability: Issue of water"
    Ismat Shah,     Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware

PLENARY Q&A, DISCUSSION: 30 MINS.

Moderator: Saleem Ali, Blue & Gold Professor of Energy and the Environment, University of Delaware
11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
LIGHT REFRESHMENTS
11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
DEFINING AND BUILDING SMART CITIES: MULTIDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES
  • “What is a smart city? A guide for the perplexed"
    Lawrence Agbemabiese,     Associate Research Professor, Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Delaware
  • “Seeing like a society: Metrics, measurement and urban transitions to sustainability”
    Jessica Seddon,     Director of Integrated Urban Strategy, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
  • “Financing smart cities and sustainable infrastructure”
    John Macomber,     Senior Lecturer in Finance, Harvard Business School

PLENARY Q&A, DISCUSSION: 30 MINS.

Moderator: Phil Barnes, Associate Policy Scientist, School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware
12:50 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
LUNCH
2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
BIG DATA, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES & RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE
  • “Big data and smart urbanization: A strong new union”
    Nii Attoh-Okine,     Professor, College of Engineering, University of Delaware
  • "The past, present and future of the integrated transportation system in Delaware"
    Gene Donaldson,     Director, Transportation Management Center, Delaware Department of Transportation
  • “Building smart cities and resilient communities: The urgency to harness sensors, location data, and census geography”
    Quintus Jett,     Director and Research Fellow, Citizen Alum Project, Rutgers University

PLENARY Q&A, DISCUSSION: 30 MINS.

Moderator: TBD
3:40 p.m. - 5:10 p.m.
SMART URBAN ENERGY & MOBILITY
  • “Grid integrated vehicles and renewable energy”
    Willett Kempton,     Professor, School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware
  • “Energy-efficient mobility systems”
    Andreas Malikopoulos,     Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware
  • “Low-cost air quality monitoring for developing countries”
    Priyanka deSouza,     Massachusetts Institute of Technology

PLENARY Q&A, DISCUSSION: 30 MINS.

Moderator: Lily Odarno, World Resources Institute, Washington D.C.
5:10 p.m.
COCKTAILS AND DINNER

DAY TWO: November 29, 2017
8 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.
REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST
9 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
PROSPECTS FOR EQUITABLE ACCESS TO CORE SERVICES IN SMART CITIES
  • “Can smart cities & sustainable energy facilitate social and economic equity?”
    Jeffrey Richardson,     Project Leader, Outreach and Engagement, Black American Studies, University of Delaware
  • "Powering cities in the Global South: How energy access for all benefits the economy and the environment"
    Michael Westphal,     World Resources Institute, Washington D.C.
  • "Smart cities? A short historical primer of past efforts to improve cities and a plea for justice"
    Raymond Scattone,     Assistant Research Professor, Energy and Environmental Policy Program, University of Delaware
    Lemir Teron, Assistant Professor, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York

PLENARY Q&A, DISCUSSION: 30 MINS.

Moderator: Lawrence Agbemabiese, Associate Research Professor, Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Delaware
10:25 a.m. - 11:40 p.m.
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE AND THE SMART CITY
  • “Data, technology and participation: Civic technology and the smart city”
    John McNutt,     Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware
    Jonathan Justice, Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware
    Nina David, Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware
  • “The republic of digital health: How democratic use of data is revolutionizing health care”
    Thomas Martin,     Assistant Professor, Temple University
  • “The politics of urban energy transitions: The case of Taiwanese cities”
    Tze-Luen Alan Lin,     Associate Professor, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

PLENARY Q&A, DISCUSSION: 30 MINS.

Moderator: TBD
11:40 a.m. - 11:55 a.m.
LIGHT REFRESHMENTS
11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
INTERDISCIPLINARY ROUNDTABLE OF STUDENTS ENGAGED IN SMART CITIES RESEARCH
  • “New strategies for urban sustainability measurement through common indicators and peer city benchmarking: A people-centric approach to smart city planning”
    Joseph Nyangon,     Ph.D. Candidate, Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Delaware
  • “Smart Africa: Costs, benefits and risks”
    Fan Yang,     Doctoral Student, Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Delaware
  • “Smart cities, smarter citizens: Democracy and critical consciousness for urban sustainability"
    Mayuri Utturkar,     Ph.D. Candidate, Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Delaware
    Mesut Karakoc, Doctoral Student, School of Public Policy and Adminstration, University of Delaware

PLENARY Q&A, DISCUSSION: 30 MINS.

Moderator: TBD
12:55 p.m. - 1:55 p.m.
LUNCH
2 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
CASE STUDIES: MUNICIPAL & NATIONAL EFFORTS
  • “First State, smart state: Assembling resources to create Smart Delaware”
    Phil Barnes,     Associate Policy Scientist, School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware
  • “Solar energy for smart cities: The benefits of distributed PV-plus storage systems”
    Lado Kurdgelashvili,     Research Assistant Professor, Environmental and Energy Policy, University of Delaware
  • "Understanding and acting on rural broadband deficiencies in Delaware"
    Troy Mix,     Policy Scientist, Institute of Public Administration, University of Delaware

PLENARY Q&A, DISCUSSION: 30 MINS.

Moderator: Willett Kempton, Professor, School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware
3:25 p.m. - 4:25 p.m.
ADDRESSING THE TALENT GAPS IN SMART CITY PLANNING, PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION: WHAT ROLES FOR UNIVERSITIES?
  • “Universities and smart cities: Redesigning connections”
    Daniel Rich,     University Professor of Public Policy, School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware
  • “eLinkages: Leveraging ICT for social innovation across departments, institutions and national borders”
    Lauri Goldkind,     Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University
  • “Equipping smart cities researchers and practitioners with data science techniques”
    Nii Attoh-Okine,     Professor, College of Engineering, University of Delaware

PLENARY Q&A, DISCUSSION: 30 MINS.

Moderator: Andreas Malikopoulos, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware
4:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS ON NEXT STEPS AT UD AND BEYOND
  • Breakout Sessions
6 p.m.
CLOSING REMARKS
  • Domenico Grasso, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware
7:30 p.m.
OPTIONAL EVENING EXCURSION IN NEWARK

The Symposium Sponsors:

University of DelawareCenter for Energy and Environmental PolicyDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering