MK:Smart’s Project Director, Enrico Motta, and Geoff Snelson, Director of Strategy for MK Council, spoke at this conference hosted by the Telegraph,which brought together city leaders and other major stakeholders to share examples of innovative urban projects.
Professor Enrico Motta, Project Director of MK:Smart
In particular, Geoff and Enrico took part in a panel discussing the issue of “Closing the gap between theory and implementation”, where they elaborated on the reasons for the success of the smart city agenda in Milton Keynes and discussed the current challenges.
In particular Enrico pointed out that “A number of UK cities, including Milton Keynes, are at the forefront of smart city technologies but the challenge now is to move to the next level, progressing from demonstrators to solutions integrated at scale and addressing the key issues facing UK cities. The next five years are going to be crucial in terms of investment in this area, if we want to make sure that the UK consolidates its position at the leading edge of smart city solutions.”
Topics covered in the panel included: Understanding the Potential and Limitations of Smart City Technologies; Implementing smart technologies to engage with energy, transport and data; and How to foster data-driven open innovation.
Other panel members joined the discussion from Telefonica and Silver Spring Networks, provider of smart grid products. The panel was moderated by Trevor Dorling, Director, Digital Greenwich.
The Telegraph’s one-day conference, took place in East London. The message of the Britain’s Smart Cities was that Smart systems are now critical to achieving long term sustainability. City leaders must balance the demands of improving and strengthening financial results, creating an attractive place in which to live and work, whilst also reducing environmental impact.