Community leaders, planners, government officials, the business sector, and other municipal stakeholders are looking towards the "smart city" movement to serve as a foundation for change and to provide a platform for sustainable innovation and growth. Entities such as Government services, healthcare, education, transportation and buildings, become more intelligent and service-oriented as they are infused with digital technologies and innovations. The impact of networked services, applications, smart objects, and experiences is profound and will re-shape the world as we know it. To have a lasting positive effect on our communities the impact of environmental and social externalities, technology, and innovation must be defined, grounded, implemented, and celebrated with the help of collaborative eco-systems (mobilizing the community).

The ‘Future Cities’ program will explore how to build such collaborative eco-systems and instill lasting change for our future cities. This program will explore the technology trends and tools that underpin the digital transformation of our communities and delve into the environmental and social impacts to be taken into consideration when re-imagining the future of a city. You will emerge from the class with the framework necessary to define and pursue “purpose” through the use of innovation with the help of all relevant stakeholders.