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Gina Aspelin Hedbring
Project Manager @ Smart City Sweden and Head of International projects @ IVL The Swedish environmental research institute
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Gina is the Manager of the Swedish collaboration Platform Smart City Sweden. For several years she has been meeting and discussing with ministers, governmental agencies, companies and other organizations about the challenges and opportunities in building smart cities, and about, what is actually a smart city? The aim of the platform is to showcase best practices and inspire collaboration and they has welcomed more then 6000 visitors from +100 countries the last 4 year, all with the aim of creating more Sustainable Smart cities. The platform is operating a network all over Sweden as well as internationally. In addition, Gina is leading a group of consultants working on sustainable solutions for society, all over the world. Previously, Gina has worked as a management consultant within the utility sector as well +10 year within the area of IT and Telecommunication, in the Nordics as well as in Africa and South America. As a member of the G100: Smart City Wing she collaborates with likeminded all over the world and more importantly she regularly speaks and have intense dialouges with students from all over the world. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: How a banana peel makes a difference in the Smart City 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Smart Cities has been on the top of the agenda for many years, now the term and ambition needs to be revisited. What is actually needed to create a smart city? Where should the focus be and why is the city still so important? This presentation will not give you any answers, only more questions. This session will investigate some alternative ideas of a smart city, and touch upon the question, where does the city start and end? In the end, is about people, courage and leadership.
Steve Severance
Director of Growth
Steve Severance oversees numerous projects that balance sustainability and economic requirements, guaranteeing each project meets sustainability, revenue, cost, and schedule targets. Severance also leads the development of the technology lines of business, including district cooling, mobility, and smart city initiatives. He develops new business models, execution of strategies, and partnerships with leading global companies to implement technology requirements. He has 20 years of experience in project and program management, strategy consulting, financial analysis, and economic development in the United States, Moldova, and the Middle East. Severance holds a Master of Business Administration from San Jose State University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cedarville University in the United States. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: How cities can provide a pathway to net-zero 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Countries around the world are committing to achieving net-zero by 2050. Cities, as leading contributors to carbon emissions, have a vital role to play—and Masdar City, a smart, sustainable city in Abu Dhabi, is a prime case study. They have been pioneering sustainable urban development for more than 15 years, creating a “green-print” for cities that want to be part of the solution to climate change. Their approach, while tailored to the region’s unique needs, is applicable worldwide: City planners and developers need to work in tandem with their environment, tailoring master plans to local challenges and resources and making sustainability a primary goal rather than a premium add-on. They also need to work collaboratively across sectors to challenge perceptions of what is possible.
