On 21 and 22 November, almost 530 visitors from the academic and socio-economic arenas took part in the second edition of the FUTURE Days at the Cité Descartes – Marne-la-Vallée. The two days were dedicated to the theme of "Innovations and the cities of the future" and included ten conferences and nine round tables. Bringing together academics, students, and representatives from businesses and local authorities, these events provided an opportunity for extensive discussions on the environmental, climate, economic and social challenges faced by our cities and metropolises.
The 2018 FUTURE Days featured contributions from several leading international stakeholders in the field of the sustainable city and development. Susan Parnell, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Gabriel Lanfranchi, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Naoyuki Yoshino, University of Keio, Japan; Nicolas Galarza Sanchez, New York University, United States; and Yann Grynberg, Technical University of Nanyang, Singapore all shared their initiatives and experiences. Socio-economic stakeholders such as Eiffage, Orange and the Cap Digital competitiveness hub described concrete examples of projects developed around the same innovation challenges.
The FUTURE Days also enabled visitors to explore the extensive research facilities on the Cité Descartes campus, including the Sense City climate chamber and the ESIEE Paris cleanrooms.
Finally - a first this year - the FUTURE Days included Greencity Business meetings. Organised by the Descartes Développement Agency, they were designed to facilitate the development of collaborative projects between academics, local authorities and businesses. More than 350 meetings took place and will, no doubt, lead to the creation of new opportunities for the participating companies.
For photos and videos of the event, along with information about the conferences and round tables, visit the event's dedicated webpage.
