Cities of the future

Everyday, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is moving the boundaries of the known and bringing new opportunities, not only to businesses, but also to society at large as well as its individuals. These opportunities need to be explored, evaluated and included as the basis of the innovation that is taking place all around us.

Autonomous processes, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, smart factories and huge amounts of data are just some of the features that are not only included in the business sphere but create the economic, social and social environment in which cities and communities operate. Institutional changes are therefore crucial to overcoming the existing challenges and challenges brought about by new changes. Consequently, the private sector, governments and municipalities are trying to understand the scope of digital opportunities of future smart cities and to include new opportunities of cities in order to create a better living environment.

A key factor for the cities of the future is a timely shift in the understanding of the urban economy, urban infrastructure and services, the urban environment, society, governance and innovation created by future industries.

As we are aware of the dimension of the changes that are happening today and which are waiting for us in the future, Global Shapers Ljubljana have decided to participate in the "Shaping My City's Future" challenge, which was put forward by the World Economic Forum, our parent organisation. As part of this project, we want to address and evaluate the readiness of the main Slovenian city - Ljubljana regarding the forthcoming of the fourth industrial revolution. In doing so, we want to creat a long-term vision which will incorporate the result of radical changes in management and governance, as well as micro-changes that are occuring around us every day and provide greater efficiency and better access to resources and their use. We are aware that there are also less desired aspects of these inevitable changes, which we believe can be mitigated if addressed in a timely and correct manner.

When the trend becomes obvious, it is often too late. Is Ljubljana ready?