Starts in Mexico City the III UCLG World Congress
The World Local and Regional Leaders gathered today for the opening of the third World Congress of UCLG in Mexico, from the 17th to the 20th November 2010, at the invitation of the Mayor of Mexico, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon.
The Mayor of Mexico said he was honored to welcome this World Summit and « that it was inside cities that the fight against climate change and pollution and for clean sources of energy would be won. »
The President of United Cities and Local Governments and Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, stressed the need for « the spirit of Mexico to inspire the three days of Congress, a spirit made of modernity, boldness, social justice and dignity in society and in the city. »
Patricia Espinoza Cantellano, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, insisted on the determination of participants to reach a succesful outcome at the climate negotiations to be held in Cancun 29 november-10 december 2010.
Key international personalities expressed their full support of the world´s cities and local governments during the opening ceremony. Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Peace Nobel Price 2007 and President of the Intergovernmental Panel on the Evolution of Climate Change declared that « change would have to be led by cities » and asked for international funds to be established for these cities on the issue of climate change, and Joan Clos, Executive-Director of UN-Habitat, pointed out two major challenges for the future of cities : « the security and stability of local finances, and the need to conceive urban planification in a different manner. »
Committee meeting in Mexico
From the 17th to the 20th November will be held in Mexico City, the III World Congress of UCLG.
From the Presidency of the Committee, we believe that this event represents a good opportunity for the members to meet and discuss about the future of the Committee, taking into consideration the future renewal of the Committee for the period 2011-2013. The meeting will be held on the 17th November at 12:30. The meeting point will be the Hall of Hilton Reforma Hotel. On behalf of the City of Bilbao, the Presidency of the Committee will be represented by Ms. Ibone Bengoetxea, Deputy Mayor of the City of Bilbao.
The meeting is open to all the participants, however we would appreciate if you could please confirm your participation by sending an email to the Secretariat of the Committee: bilbaonext.promocion@ayto.bilbao.net
The Global City Report places Bilbao as the third most innovative city after London and Chicago
Bilbao has just received another international recognition for its ability to "develop and attract talent." The Global City Report 2010 -a ranking made by a major Italian business group- ranks the city of Bilbao as the third most innovative in the world, behind London and Chicago. The classification is based on the analysis of four areas: technology, environmental care, cultural attractions and architecture. The last two are the strengths of Bilbao, in the opinion of the authors of the study, Bilbao has managed to transform itself at a good rhythm without sacrificing its tradition.
In the year of the Shanghai World Expo and the ´Nobel´ Prize for cities, awarded by the Singapore authorities, the name of Bilbao has also been heard in Milan, where last Tuesday were presented the findings of the report. The Global City Report is signed by two prestigious organizations in Italy: Generali SGR real estate division, a leading banking and insurance company in the country, and the independent research institute Scenari Immobiliari.
A "smart" change
This time the research was focused on innovation, but not exclusively linked to technological advances. If so Bilbao would not have been highlighted, since in this paragraph it is ranked in the last place of a select club of twenty cities. What it is valued is "the rapid and consistent evolution´ of populations, their efforts to build economic and social fabric to attract "new residents, new businesses and, above all, creative talent". The diagnosis has been addressed in a global scope and with very specific indicators that goes from the introduction of the Internet to transport networks and concert agenda.
Bilbao has shown its dynamism in this long-distance race. The merits attributed to it are the same that have made it win other awards. In the cultural field it won the third place, only behind Paris and Berlin, thanks to the brilliance of titanium. "It managed to transform its urban and industrial city image and reborn around the Guggenheim Museum, which has become a symbol of the city and the contemporary architecture," the report reads. It is even more enthusiastic the reference to urban development, although in this section it ranks seventh. "Bilbao is considered in Europe as a model of intelligent conversion," they say. "In less than twenty years it has come from being an industrial port city to a human scale city, with large green areas." In the field of sustainability, it lies in the middle of the table. In this regard, as in urban, Toronto is the winner.
Although Bilbao does not impose in all the categories, Bilbao obtains good grades in the general classification, perhaps because it "has managed to integrate perfectly innovation and tradition." The bronze medal is a good showcase, as this report is used as a working paper by large companies and investors. The study was conducted by two renowned professionals, sociologist Saskia Sassen, Columbia University, author of seminal works on globalization, and Paola Gianasso, Research Institute Scenari Immobiliari.
Source: El Correo Digital
Connecting classes, hospitals virtually
In a bid to improve the connectivity between areas and increase development, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority(MMRDA) commissioner, Ratnakar Gaikwad, has decided to introduce the concept of ´smart cities´ for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). If this plan takes off, soon
there will be virtual classrooms across schools in the MMR, where students will learn from a single teacher sitting at a central point. Primary health care workers, sitting in village hospitals across the MMR, will be able to get real-time instructions from doctors sitting in a central hospital.
For this, the MMRDA will tie-up with the international Information Technology major, Cisco.
Gaikwad, who recently visited Shanghai for an Infrastructure expo, where he learnt about the company said, "The company has created a smart city connected through the Internet two hours away from Seoul in South Korea. Even Trichur, in Karnataka, has a similar project. The MMR has many villages that fall under the tribal area and are often cut-off from the rest of the developed region. Cisco will be primarily offering their services for the development of such villages".
To begin with, a pilot project will be implemented in areas where schools do not have teachers and people have to travel far to get basic healthcare. The initiative, Gaikwad said will be part of CISCO´s corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the expenses for setting up the system will be borne by Pune-based Science and Technology Park.
Source: hindustantimes
Regional Action Plan for Information Society
With the participation of 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean attached to the Regional Action Plan for the Information Society, was held in Montevideo, Uruguay, the Preparatory Meeting for the Third Ministerial Conference, which analyzed the long-term strategy of the region, known as eLAC, which states that the information technology and communications (ICT) are tools for economic development and social inclusion.
The meeting, which took place on 23 and 24 September, was inaugurated by the Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic of Uruguay, Alberto Breccia, and the director of the Division of Productive and Business Development of the Cepal, Mario Cimoli.
During the meeting it was presented the current regional plan on the Information Society (eLAC2010) and it was discussed a new proposal for the following years (eLAC2015). It is expected the decisions taken at this meeting to be approved at the Ministerial Conference to be held in Lima in November.
Mario Cimoli expressed the strong commitment of Cepal to the ECLAC process. "ICT is a catalyst for growth with equality, and promote regional integration," he said.
Cimoli reaffirmed that gender equality and equity in the region are two strong values of the regional commission of the United Nations, along with the improvement of the integration through dialogue and co-government.
He remarked that meetings like this are very helpful for the dialogue between countries and for building consensus that encourage the deepening of understanding and need for policies to promote the information society at regional level.
Alberto Breccia highlighted the value of the meeting and the need to empower Digital Agendas and ICT as tools for development, in order to make progress on social justice.
Source: Periódico La Reública, Uruguay
The Committee will renew its term of office in the World Congress in México
According to the terms of reference for the Functioning of UCGL´s Committees and Working Groups, the Committees must renew their term of office every 3 years. Once this time has passed, since the renewal of our Committee approved during the II World Congress of UCLG held in 2007 in Jeju, South Korea, it is time to renew again the term of office of the Committee for the next period 2011-2013.
From the Presidency of the committee we believe that the balance of the work developed until today has been positive, and that the objective and work of the Committee has still not been concluded. For this reason, we have sent all the documentation required by UCLG´s World Secretariat to present our interest in the renewal. This documentation will be evaluated and analyzed by a Advice Committee designated by UCLG, previous to the celebration of UCLG´s III World Congress to be held from the 11th to the 16th November in Mexico City.
We thank all the members that have sent their support to this renewal.
Convertirán a Río de Janeiro en ciudad digital inteligente
Un proyecto anunciado por las autoridades de Río de Janeiro se propone convertir a esta ciudad de Brasil en la primera urbe "digital inteligente" del país antes de que el municipio sirva como sede del Mundial de fútbol de 2014 y como el palco de los Juegos Olímpicos de 2016.
El proyecto será financiado con el Fondo Municipal de Amparo a las Investigaciones, cuya creación fue anunciada este martes por el secretario municipal de Ciencia y Tecnología, Franklin Dias Coelho.
El funcionario dijo a la prensa que el fondo será administrado por una fundación municipal y servirá para financiar el desarrollo de innovaciones tecnológicas que garanticen la inclusión digital y la calidad de vida de la población.
"El objetivo es estimular líneas de investigación que integren transformaciones urbanísticas de la ciudad con la innovación de proyectos de ciencia y tecnología", dijo el secretario de Ciencia y Tecnología en declaraciones citadas hoy por la estatal Agencia Brasil.
El funcionario aseguró que la meta es seguir los ejemplos de ciudades inteligentes de Europa, que ya trabajan con "sensores que pueden controlar multitudes y desplazamientos a partir de teléfonos celulares y de softwares por satélite".
"Esa tecnología permite controlar el desplazamiento, por ejemplo, de grandes grupos de hinchas de fútbol", refirió.
Dias Coelho también citó ciudades inteligentes que cuentan con sensores que vigilan la contaminación ambiental y la operación de áreas como el saneamiento básico.
Además de convertir a Río de Janeiro en una ciudad inteligente, el proyecto también pretende garantizar la inclusión digital de toda la población de la segunda mayor ciudad de Brasil.
El funcionario reconoció que, pese a los esfuerzos de la gobernación regional para ofrecer acceso gratuito a internet en banda ancha en diferentes barrios pobres y en locales públicos como las playas, la exclusión digital aún afecta al 90 por ciento de la población del estado de Río de Janeiro.
Según el secretario, ese déficit comenzará a ser reducido en unos tres meses, cuando comenzara a ser instalada una red en banda ancha que atenderá a toda la región metropolitana de Río de Janeiro.
"El proyecto Rio Digital es la posibilidad de construcción de una estructura de banda ancha de transmisión de voz, datos e imagen con estándar de calidad europea y a más de 2 megabytes de velocidad", dijo.
El funcionario de la municipalidad de Rio de Janeiro aseguró que el proyecto no sólo atenderá las áreas más desarrolladas de la ciudad sino también las más carentes de infraestructura y servicios públicos.
The Committee Forum begins
From the Presidency of the Committee we believe that it is important that all the members can share their opinions and points of view on topics of interest and relevance for the committee, therefore we are pleased to inform you that we have launched the "COMMITTEE FORUM".
The Committee Forum represents an open space in which we will be able to discuss general issues related to ICT, Innovation and Knowledge that affect Local Authorities.
In order to achieve this objective, from the committee it will be proposed a series of topics for their debate and discussion between the members. We are open to suggestions about themes that you might consider of importance to discuss.
When the time of discussion ends, we will send the contributions and conclusions to all the members and the will be also accessible in the Committee website.
In this sense we are glad to inform you that the first theme of discussion is:
"The importance of supporting and boosting innovation at local level in times of crisis"
You may access the Forum and register through the Committee Website:
www.cities-localgovernments.org/committees/cdc
Thus the contents of the debate will be essential to enrich the interactive forums launched by UCLG on the website of the Local and Regional World Leaders Summit, to be held on 16-20 November in Mexico City. The members, through the Committee Forum, will have the opportunity to contribute to the Congress topics by providing inputs about digital cities, ITC, innovation and knowledge. For further information, please visit the interactive forums in the Congress website:
Do not hesitate to contact the Secretariat of the Committee with any question or suggestion.
Bilbao triplica su recaudación
El Ayuntamiento ingresó el año pasado 4,6 millones de euros a través de internet, que los bilbainos utilizan principalmente para pagar multas. Un tercio de los recibos fue abonado con tarjeta de crédito
El sistema de pagos on line del Ayuntamiento de Bilbao se consolida. Después de cinco años en servicio, ha conseguido triplicar la recaudación con respecto a 2008. El año pasado, el Ayuntamiento recaudó a través de internet 4,6 millones de euros y en lo que va de año ya se han recibido 1.681.000 euros. Además, un tercio de los recibos se paga ya con tarjetas de crédito.
Para los bilbainos supone una gran ventaja; abierto las 24 horas del día, inmediato y sin necesidad de realizar desplazamientos. El sistema de pagos on line se implantó en la capital hace cinco años como una manera rápida, cómoda y segura de ingresar recibos e impuesto municipales a través de la web del Consistorio, www.bilbao.net.
Sus ventajas no han pasado desapercibidas para los ciudadanos. El Área de Economía y Hacienda recaudó el año pasado por esta vía tres veces más que la cantidad embolsada en 2008. Además, los datos hasta la fecha hacen pensar que en 2010 habrá aún más bilbainos que se decanten por este sistema. Marta Ajuria, delegada de Hacienda, añadió que "se trata de dejar que los ciudadanos entren en el Ayuntamiento gracias a un sencillo sistema que asegura la confidencialidad de todos los usuarios y la seguridad de los trámites".
Además, la decisión de introducir la opción de pago múltiple y el poder realizar los pagos a través de tarjetas de crédito -ambas posibilidades implantadas en 2008- ha confirmado la tendencia al alza del uso de este sistema, de manera que a 30 de junio ya hay 1.681.000 euros recaudados. Marta Ajuria reconoció que la posibilidad de pagar con tarjeta de crédito, una de las últimas novedades incorporadas, ha contribuido a que este servicio sea más utilizado por los usuarios.
Bilbao fue pionera en la instauración de este sistema en Bizkaia, así como la primera capital de Euskadi en confiar en internet como la forma idónea de acercarse a la ciudadanía.
Las multas de OTA y de tráfico son los recibos que acaparan la mayoría de los pagos on line. De hecho, cuatro de cada diez pagos que se realizaron a través de internet fueron para saldar multas de OTA (1.102) o de tráfico (2.283).
Ibi y vehículos El segundo recibo más pagado a través de esta vía fueron los recibos de padrón -como el impuesto de actividades económicas-, mientras que el IBI representa un 2% y el de los vehículos un 3%. Los recibos abonados por vía ejecutiva -es decir, aquellos que no se han pagado en el plazo correspondiente- representaron también el 12%.
La conexión entre los contribuyentes y el Consistorio se establece a través de lo que se ha denominado Pasarela de Pagos, diseñada por el Gobierno vasco en 2004 para todas las administraciones de Euskadi. Este procedimiento asegura la seguridad en las transacciones por realizarse en la web de la entidad financiera y garantiza la confidencialidad, al preservar el intercambio de información en el marco de la Ley de Protección de datos de carácter personal.
Esta herramienta fue galardonada con el premio al mejor servicio electrónico de cooperación inter-administrativa por el jurado de los premios Tecnimap en 2004.
Source: Deia
Nouvelles technologies : l´Inde nouveau modèle de la Ville et de la Région ?
Depuis ce lundi et jusqu´à mercredi, de nombreux acteurs du monde numérique débattent des nouvelles technologies et de leur impact sur notre quotidien, à l´occasion d´une série de conférence au théâtre national de la Criée, à Marseille. Au programme notamment, la présentation d´innovations comme la possibilité de payer avec son téléphone portable, le développement d´imprimantes en 3D ou encore la miniaturisation d´appareils électroniques.
Cette rencontre entre chercheurs et professionnels du monde numérique, intitulée "Lift with Fing" du nom des deux structures organisatrices, a ouvert ce matin, en partenariat avec la Ville de Marseille et le Conseil régional, et en présence de Daniel Kaplan, délégué général de la Fondation pour l´internet nouvelle génération (Fing). Les deux institutions en ont profité pour rappeler leur projet de "construire des services numériques urbains" et d´accroître "l´accessibilité aux réseaux fixes et mobiles haut-débit avec la fibre optique et la 4G" dans les années à venir.
L´Inde comme modèle
Présent à cette conférence, Sam Pitroda, conseiller du premier ministre indien sur les infrastructures d´information et les innovations, a partagé son expérience. Son pays, qui connaît une croissance économique et numérique galopante, a, selon lui, su "basculer dans une nouvelle ère en s´appuyant notamment sur une population jeune."
Christophe Castaner, vice-président de la Région, souhaiterait appliquer ces méthodes en Paca : "L´Inde a fait d´internet un outil de développement économique mais surtout d´émancipation politique et sociale en réduisant le poids de la tradition et de l´usage. L´idéal serait que nous entrions dans cette nouvelle approche : passer d´une innovation hi-tech à une innovation sociétale."
Source: La provence.com
