Futures of Wise Cities: Carl Magnus Olsson on Moving Beyond The Box - Wiser Approach To Cities

Carl Magnus Olsson - Moving Beyond The Box: Wiser Approach To Cities
“We as a university have a role to play beyond education and research, but as a service to the public to help the society change in the right direction.”
Every city has their own telltale characteristics and strengths when it comes to adopting wiser approaches relevant to that city. In this talk, Carl Magnus Olsson, director of external relations of the Internet of Things and People (IoTaP) and Associate Professor at Malmö University, emphasises the importance of looking at examples from other cities as well as previous projects to give better context in measuring effectivity and in making smarter energy solution decisions.
Having been running a large project with key players in the region, they realise that they shouldn’t solely shine a light on new buildings but also focus on re-profiting existing buildings - as tearing them down isn’t a sustainable option. They do so by trying to understand the occupants rather than the smartness of the system.
“The reasons for doing smart energy solutions need to be tangible. The belief that it’s good for society is nice and all, but people want something concrete. Otherwise, it’s a bit like telling your children to eat more salad because it’s good for them.”
Are finding optimised and smart solutions solely for profit and business opportunities? How do we get people on board when it comes to implementing a wiser approach in cities? How do we address diverse cultural context and background, can we collectively move toward the same direction? Carl Magnus delves further into this using an array of examples old and new as food for thought.