TOKYO, Japan, Aug. 14, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - The fourth annual Social Innovation/Smart City Week event organized by Nikkei Business Publications (Nikkei BP) is developing into a truly international resource for problem solving and technology canvassing for Municipal Governments, future oriented SMEs and MNCs, and the experts and individuals concerned about the social implications for burgeoning cities, ageing populations, obsolescence of city infrastructure, energy security, the future of transportation, and disaster readiness and risk reduction.
"Smart City itself covers a myriad of issues and challenges for our modern lifestyle. Our goal is to outline and share the challenges of growing cities from the social innovation perspective and at the same time, bring business fully into the picture so enterprise can work together with government and citizens to create a win-win situation for all", says Yosuke Mochizuki, Director of Nikkei BP Cleantech Institute which oversees this event within Nikkei Business Publications.
He continues, "Over the past three events, we saw significant growth of interest in how Japan grappled with the challenges of pollution, lower birthrates and ageing populations, disaster preparation and handling and how Japan works through these challenges to attain better living environments for citizens across the board. We have experts from around the world present on cutting-edge thinking behind city building and we want to convey that, for instance, the social issues faced in Cebu or Madrid can be similar to those faced by Tokyo or Mexico City. The issues might be at different stages or on a smaller or larger scale, but challenges are borderless and we can share so much when we come together to learn how to build a better future for our children via interaction at all levels. Following on last year, we expect more than 80 countries with 50,000 plus attendees".
John Lawrence, a PHP certified engineer for a US MNC and a long-term Yokohama resident notes why Yokohama is the perfect location for such an event,
"Yokohama is a port city of about 3.5 million people about 30 kilometers to the southwest of Tokyo. It is the largest and most ambitious of the Smart City demonstration projects in Japan. It won the World Smart Cities Award at the Smart City Expo World Congress 2011 and has been touted as an example of how to take an established city forward on the Smart City path."
The world shares the need for innovative solutions for issues on how to create structures to withstand natural disasters, requirements for safety and convenience in transportation networks, basic energy security, increased efficiency in agriculture for safe and sufficient food access, effective cooperation among municipal medical and nursing facilities, holistic healthcare for preventative medicine, etc. Here, investment, business and collaborative opportunities abound and Social Innovation/Smart City Week 2014 aims to bring business, government, and citizens together in a multi-faceted environment of networking, learning and information exchange with the following four focus areas.
Disaster Prevention, Infrastructure Renovation, Advanced Healthcare and the Impact of Technology. A dynamic, multi-faceted program is taking shape for October and Nikkei BP is gathering experts in various fields to contribute unique views on Smart City activity across the board. Speakers slated to be in Yokohama include:
Tim Stonor, Managing Director, Space Syntax (UK)
Expert view on the challenges faced by cities in the future
http://www.spacesyntax.com
Speech Title:
"The Social Architecture of the Smart City – Lessons from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games"
Andreas Raptopoulos / CEO, Matternet (USA)
A game-changing transport system for remote areas in the world
http://matternet.us/our-vision/
Speech Title:
"Vision of Future Society" (tentative)
Mikal Hallstrup / The Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at Designit (Denmark)
Future ready solutions across the entire customer experience
http://designit.com/approach
Speech Title:
"Designing a smarter future for everyone"
Marcelo Cerrea Barbosa Fernandes / The Brazilian development bank (BNDES)
Pursuing social and environmental responsibility in all operational areas.
http://www.bndes.gov.br/SiteBNDES/bndes/bndes...nsibility/
Speech Title:
"Internet of Things and Smart City ~ Opportunities for Brazil"
Nahashon N. Nyagah / Chairman, Tatu City Ltd. (Kenya), (tentative)
The most exciting urban development projects in Kenya.
http://tatucity.com/about-us/about-tatu-city
Speech Title:
"Tatu City will drive the growth of "Greater Nairobi"" (tentative)
(Please note that listed speakers and speech titles are based on current plans and subject to change without prior notice.)
Through active inclusion of international business via Chambers of Commerce in Japan and Commercial Sections of Foreign Embassy in Japan, participation from overseas delegations, NGOs and international professionals active in Japan, this year's event will showcase Japan's renewable energy strategy, infrastructure and disaster prevention technology, social challenges include shrinking population/ultra-ageing society, healthcare, educational issues and more.
Registration to participate in the conference will begin online in September but organizations interested in various opportunities to participate in exhibitions, delegations, etc., can contact the following
Contact Information:
Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.
SOCIAL INNOVATION/SMART CITY WEEK 2014 Managing Office
1-17-3 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8646 Japan
TEL: +81-3-6811-8084 / FAX: +81-3-5421-9170
e-mail: social(at)nikkeibp(dot)co(dot)jp
This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/08/prweb12087412.htm
Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. Ruth Marie Jarman +81 368042667
