Four years ago, the world's urban population overtook the number of rural residents and has not stopped since. According to the UN, two thirds of the world population will live in cities by 2050.
This rapid urbanisation presents both challenges and opportunities, and cities across the world will have to be prepared to be inclusive, providing all citizens with adequate infrastructure and services.
Against this backdrop, our Challenges of Government Conference ‘Flourishing Cities’ is set to be a world-leading gathering of new thought on how cities can develop and flourish while improving welfare, driving sustainability, and promoting inclusive growth.
Top academics, private sector representatives and government officials from across the world will explore new ideas and discuss best practices around three broad themes: prosperity, sustainability, and health, security and education. Within these, the exploration of current topics such as affordable housing and slums, climate change resilience, transport and security will go alongside open discussions around innovative ideas such as citizen engagement, technology and big data.
With speakers and audience from a variety of countries and backgrounds, ‘Flourishing Cities’ will bring together leading academics such as Tony Travers (London School of Economics) and Sir Paul Collier (Blavatnik School of Government). Charity sector representatives will also play an important role and will include - amongst others - Mo Ibrahim, founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, supporting leadership and governance in Africa, and Geoff Mulgan from innovation capacity charity Nesta. Additional speakers also include Andrew Grant from global consultancy firm McKinsey & Company, Stephen Jennings from pan-African urban land developer Rendeavour, and many more.
Now in its fourth year, Challenges of Government Conference will take place on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 December in Oxford.
