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.