As a part of the Big Smart Istanbul project, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) now readies for an international event to be held on May 15-18 in Istanbul’s Haliç Congress Center. World Cities Expo Istanbul’17 will bring together nearly 3,000 business people and more than 300 international and national members of the press as well as over 10,000 professionals. More than 100 global and local companies will attend the event with nearly 10 national pavilions to underline “Smart Cities” concept.
The Big Smart Istanbul project has been introduced by the city’s municipality to offer innovative solutions for Istanbulites in the fields of transportation, energy and environment. The project will be brought to an international level with the World Cities Expo. The international press launch for the expo was held in Barcelona during the Mobile World Congress (MWC2017) bringing the world’s technology giants.
Speaking at the press conference, IBB Secretary General Hayri Baraçlı underlined that municipalities all around the world are expected to spend more money so as to turn their cities into smart cities and ease the life of citizens. “Today global cities are projected to allocate $1.5 trillion in resources by 2021 on the path toward becoming smart cities,” said Baraçlı, adding that “Smart cities are expected to provide $22 trillion in savings by 2050 with big initiatives such as public transportation systems and energy-saving buildings.
“We all have a very important role to play in these efforts. These duties primarily include the exchange of knowledge and experience between countries and cities. It is necessary to expand smart city practices to all cities in the world. It is also crucial to raise awareness among city residents. With this in mind, we, as the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, are organizing World Cities Expo Istanbul,” he explained.
The secretary general also shared information about the Big Smart Istanbul project, which includes eight phases and is aimed to be completed in 2018. The municipality is now undertaking the third phase of the project with World Cities Expo Istanbul, according to Baraçlı.
World Cities Expo Istanbul will address entrepreneurship, economic development, innovation and technology, big data and urban management, energy, transportation, and smart societies as they contribute to Smart Cities. The international event will produce an area of shared experience, offer an exhibition area that brings companies involved in smart transformation together. There will also be vision conferences that gather opinion leaders and innovators, and effective, synergy-based business and network meetings.
Moreover, theWorld Cities Expo Istanbul attendee profile comprises international and local public institutions and organizations, leading urban technology companies, national pavilions, non-governmental organizations within the industry, smart-home platform providers, educational institutions, health service providers, insurance companies, industry publications and media organizations, municipalities, mayors and executives, technoparks, urban administrators, telecom operators, ministries of urban technologies, ministries of environment and urbanization; and technology providers. The Municipalities of Barcelona, New York and Paris are among the invitees, Baraçlı noted.
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