Last week, our annual Challenges of Government Conference brought together over 300 people from academia, governments, private sector and civil society to talk about the future of the world’s cities.
Themed around ‘Flourishing Cities’, our fourth conference was the opportunity to share experiences and ideas about how to make the world’s cities more prosperous, sustainable and inspiring. Just like all our Challenges of Government Conferences, ‘Flourishing Cities’ was designed to promote knowledge exchange and ideas sharing among different communities of people. Speakers and audiences discussed a variety of topics: from inequality and climate change, to how art can inspire citizens in urban environment, and the role of new technology and ‘smart cities’. All the panel discussions were enriched by the audience’s informed (and sometimes challenging!) questions, which contributed to a more open and stimulating atmosphere.
Amongst the highlights we can list the mayor of Medellín Aníbal Gaviria who talked about his experience in running the Colombian city that was once considered the ‘murder capital of the world’ and which is now a model of urban renovation. Medellín's resurrection, according to Mr Gaviria, is due to shared objectives between successive local governments, fostering strong partnerships with the private sector and nurturing citizens’ engagement.
The conference was closed by Mo Ibrahim, founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and Nesta’s Geoff Mulgan, who talked about innovating governance through smarter technologies, underlining that good leadership is essential for technology to be really effective.
After two days of thought-provoking discussions with speakers and experts from all around the world, four factors emerged as essential for building and developing cities that ‘flourish’, according to our Dean Ngaire Woods: people, sustainable planning, investment, and finally good governance.
See the photos from Challenges of Government 2014
Read more about our conference
Find out about the speakers and programme
Recent news
Amal Clooney appointed Visiting Professor of Practice at Blavatnik School of Government
We're delighted to announce the appointment of Amal Clooney as a Visiting Professor of Practice in international law. An acclaimed barrister and human rights advocate, Amal brings extensive global expertise and experience to the School community.
