Developing smart cities is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which include specific targets on making cities and human settlements safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable for the growing populations who call them home.
Building truly smart cities involves multi-stakeholder engagement, cross sector collaboration and innovation. It also requires a wide range of skilled professionals to design and implement solutions to the challenges common in cities that can breed inequality and poverty.
In this Devex webinar, we hear from one of the many people working to make cities smarter and more sustainable. Illac Diaz is the social entrepreneur behind the Liter of Light project, which aims to bring low-cost, zero-carbon solar power to underprivileged communities using recycled plastic bottles. He also founded the MyShelter Foundation in 2006, which promotes grassroots sustainable development through capacity-building and employment-generating projects in the Philippines.
Diaz tells us of his journey — from a master’s program in urban planning and then in public administration, to returning to the Philippines to set up his own nonprofit organization. He describes the initial challenges he faced in founding and directing the MyShelter Foundation, and then the success that followed and lead to his latest venture bringing low-cost lighting to communities worldwide.
You can watch our full webinar on “Building a Career in Smart Cities Development” above.
Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks on careers in smart cities development.
Over six weeks, Devex and our partners will explore what it takes to build a successful smart city, how climate resilient and environmentally friendly infrastructure and technologies are being implemented, and how actors in the global development community are working together toward common goals and engaging local communities in an inclusive way. Join us as we examine what it takes to create our smart cities of the future by tagging #SmartCities and @Devex.
