Cities are the key economic engines in the national-global axis. As centers of promise and innovation, these are hubs for opportunities. Today they make up more than half of the world’s population and account for 80 percent of global GDP. Yet unbalanced growth and greater inequality are diminishing the good traits of cities. And as emitters of 70 percent of the world’s carbon emissions, cities are at the center of many challenges for achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
The battle for Sustainability will be won or lost in cities
How are Bangladeshi cities faring?
Bangladesh is fast-approaching its urban future; today's urban population of 55 million will double to over 100 million by 2050. That means more than half of us will live in cities by 2040, mirroring the global urbanization trend. Phenomenal urban growth is significantly contributing to national GDP, the impact of which is manifested in the growth of urban centers, further leading to the burgeoning in cities. Yet this poses serious challenges for basic services that cannot keep up, environmental degradation, and worsening living conditions. This can impact how well Bangladesh achieves the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its aspirations for becoming an upper middle-income country by 2041.
What kind of cities do we really want?
Should cities grow upwards or outwards? Should they be dense or sparse? Should they be walkable or drivable? Should there be parks or just buildings? Can cities provide decent homes for the poor as well as the rich? Should we cater to needs of current residents or those of future urban dwellers, or both? Once we have adopted a vision, what kind of cities do we want, and what do we need to do to achieve them?
The Bangladeshi Smart City
The Smart City Campaign focuses on building people-centered partnerships for bringing transformative change to our cities. It is the first step towards exploring solutions that integrate citizens’ participation, technology, infrastructure and public policy for co-creating smart cities for Bangladesh. We envision smart cities that respond to Bangladesh’s unique social features, heritage, and economic competitiveness and that blend with global aspirations. Our Campaign also aims to tap into cutting-edge solutions presently being applied in cities worldwide.
Objective
By inspiring and mobilizing a force of city changers, the SMART CITY CAMPAIGN aims to shape an ambitious, feasible roadmap for co-creating smart cities in Bangladesh. Communities, city leaders, planners, authorities and anyone else who has a stake in the city engage in it. It has four key objectives:
Building awareness around smart city ideas that focus on people’s needs
1Mobilizing social and institutional entrepreneurs who aspire to develop smart cities
2Adopting a shared home-grown vision
3Rolling out the campaign into ‘quick-win’ and medium-long term Programme
4Program Schedule
A ‘Smart City Innovation Week’ will be
the Campaign’s breakthrough event.
Watch out for the program and detail announcement
and Events
(Mymensingh and Khulna)
Smart City Innovation Hub
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theatre
The three-day Innovation Hub is the Smart City Campaign’s major event that aims to co-create Bangladesh’s smart cities. The Hub will connect city leaders, professional experts, young innovators and anyone with a stake in our cities and present innovative ideas, models, and concepts that offer smart solutions to Bangladeshi urban challenges. It is open to all.
See the future of Bangladesh cities unfold at the Hub. Join us, explore, connect and become part of the rising conversation on sustainable cities and settlements.
The Hub: Bangladesh’s first and biggest gathering for urban changemakers
The Hub will showcase what government, non-government and private sector organizations are doing and will draw on best practices in municipalities from around Bangladesh. Social entrepreneurs and businesses can also present innovations they are testing or ones that are in full swing for easing city problems.
The exposition floor will provide spaces for re-imagining the future of the Bangladeshi cities we want. It will highlight different smart planning tools, techniques, products, ideas and what smart cities around the globe are doing.
Exhibit your idea
29 Nov - 1 Dec
You can present your idea as a model, design, prototype, app or even as a concept note. It should consider for the Bangladeshi urban context and be cost-effective, replicable, and people-centric. And your idea can fall under any category to solve existing challenges.
Call or email us:
haveyoursay@smartcitybangladesh.net
FIND YOUR INSPIRATION
Exchange ideas with the country’s leading experts and city Mayors. (50+ young entrepreneurs and + startups including GoB, universities and individual ideas)
ACCESS NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Learn from the people and communities about what they are doing to win over city challenges
GET TOP-NOTCH INFO
Learn about existing, upcoming projects/concepts, explained by those who built them and are implementing in cities/towns
STAY CURRENT
Participate in tech and application demos that are people-centric and are offering solutions in smarter ways
CONNECT WITH CHANGEMAKERS
Build networks with peers from neighboring cities, urban stakeholders and policy makers
TAKE IT FORWARD
Add new knowledge and skills to your professional horizon to co-create smart cities in Bangladesh