Member Article

Bradford’s ‘Intelligent Cities’ event sets new agenda for Yorkshire and North East

Up to 300 delegates are gathering in Bradford to meet leading city advocates and explore the impacts of digital investment on job prospects, economic growth and community well-being.

Hosted by Bradford’s Metropolitan District Council, the event at the Coral Windows Stadium on Wednesday 15th will bring together top-flight speakers including Brian Cantor (Vice Chancellor, Bradford University), Rashik Parmar (President, IBM Academy of Technology) and Tom Riordan (Chief Executive, Leeds City Council).

Bradford Council leader David Green is certain that “Digital technologies are transforming the way we live and will help the council to improve the delivery of vital public services that residents, businesses and communities depend on.”

Enthusiasts for ‘smart city’ technologies (everything from better traffic management through to lower cost street lighting and maps to understand community health and education needs) will be out in force but they will also hear from business enterprises intent on transforming the way we all live and work.

The event will include major contributions from the Centre for Cities, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Future Cities Catapult, CityFibre, Independent Fibre Networks and the acclaimed futurologist Rohit Talwar.

Last week George Osborne spoke of a ‘powerhouse for the North’ and yesterday the Labour Party observed there would be a ‘race for the top’ in devolution pledges as we approach the next General Election. Seasoned commentators, however, pointed out that ’All Oppositions were great devolvers“.

With Bradford and the Yorkshire Enterprise Network in the spotlight, showcasing their forward thinking, it is expected that delegates from many other UK cities will attend to check their ideas against the development agendas now being planned for Yorkshire and the North East – agendas that are now unstoppable regardless of the wheels spinning in Whitehall and Westminster.

Bradford’s Intelligent Cities event is free to attend. Full agenda and registration link.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by David Brunnen .