Urban Age Electric City conference

The eleventh Urban Age conference took place in central London on 6-7 December 2012. The conference focused on the ‘Electric City’ – a detailed investigation of how the combined forces of technological innovation and the global environmental crisis are affecting urban society.

Organised by LSE Cities at the London School of Economics and Deutsche Bank’s Alfred Herrhausen Society, and supported by the Mayor of London, the two-day event explored a number of themes that connect technology, the environment and cities. Speakers were asked to tackle the social dimension of technological change, addressing questions of adaptation and change in individual and collective behaviour. The objective of the Urban Age Electric City conference – and the research leading up to it – is to provide a fresh perspective on how to accelerate the current sociotechnical transition of cities in order to more effectively respond to the urgent environmental and economic challenges.

The invitation-only event was held in London and was attended by around 350 participants, with over 60 speakers drawn from cities and institutions in Asia, Africa, North and South America and Europe.

Videos of the conference sessions and interviews to speakers and participants are available on the Urban Age YouTube channel.