Event: Future of Places International Conference: Transforming Cities through Placemaking and Public Spaces
24–25 June 2013 
Stockholm, Sweden
It’s the first conference of three that will lead up to Habitat III 2016, with the overall aim of contributing to a New Urban Agenda around people and places. The Future of Places forum will highlight how and why cities need to embrace a people centered approach in order to achieve positive urbanization and not fall victim to the negative attributes of urbanization. Examples of best practices and future pipeline projects will be defined throughout the conference series. The world has a choice. Cities can continue to grow chaotically without regard to human social needs and environmental consequences or we can embrace a sustainable and equitable process which builds community, enhances quality of life, and creates safe and prosperous neighborhoods. In the future, we are convinced that the most functional cities will be the ones that start with the public realm and the people who use these places. This is a people centered vision for cities – one that enables a transformative shift in the traditional planning and management of focus cities, and one that arguably benefits everyone but those at the bottom of the economic ladder the most.City growth is all too often seen as a problem. We believe that the problem is not the rapid growth of cities per say, however, but the inability of cities to manage growth to best utilize limited space and community resources in pursuit of sustainable urban development. When we begin looking at cities in a positive light, we can see new opportunities for grassroots advocates and city governments alike – to build relationships, to take action, to create positive experiences for people, and to encourage that creative interaction that is so essential to creating great cities. Learn more.
Opportunity: Reducing Urban Poverty 2013 Essay Competition
To encourage a new generation of urban policy makers and promote early career research, USAID, International Housing Coalition (IHC), World Bank, Woodrow Wilson Center’s Comparative Urban Studies Project (CUSP), and the Cities Alliance are co-sponsoring a fourth annual paper competition.
The competition seeks abstracts for a paper competition on urban poverty in the developing world. Winning papers will be published and selected authors will present their work in a policy workshop to be held at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. in November 2013. The grand prize winner will also receive $1000.
Papers should be policy-based and solutions-oriented and should critically examine existing projects and/or propose new strategies for tackling issues related to urban poverty. Submissions from a variety of perspectives are appropriate, including (but not limited to) urban planning, economics, political science, geography, public policy, law, sociology, environment, anthropology, housing policy, information science, and data analytics. Learn more.
Opportunity: Social Innovation Fellows Program
Around the world, visionary change agents are hard at work incubating new approaches to the planet’s toughest challenges. Yet they’re often doing so without taking advantage of the latest tools and thinking in technology, communications and innovation – or a network of experts, peers, and supporters who can help them truly change the world.
The PopTech Social Innovation Fellows program is designed to help fill that gap – to equip world-changing innovators with the tools, insights, visibility and social network that can help them scale their impacts to new heights.
Each year, PopTech selects 10 to 20 high potential change agents from around the world who are working on highly disruptive innovations in areas like healthcare, energy, development, climate, education, and civic engagement, among many others. Fellows work in both the for-profit and not-for-profit worlds, have a minimum of three to five years experience, and are working in organizations that are well positioned for sustainable growth. Learn more.
Opportunity: Marketing Intern
Dallant Networks, LLC is seeking an intern to assist with research, marketing and outreach activities to build targeted traffic to URB.im, a new online network addressing urban poverty in 18 cities across the globe. This new platform seeks to bring together practitioners and activists striving to create just and inclusive cities, and to provide pragmatic sharing of practices, issues, tactics, and data.
Tasks include:
- Researching and identifying leading bloggers in key issue areas related to urban planning, urban innovation, poverty, community engagement, open data, smart cities, open government, and policy
- Researching and identifying top bloggers and key influencers related to editorial topics such as education, transportation, technology, health, green development, climate change, women’s rights, informal settlements, etc.
- Conducting customized blogger outreach via Twitter and email
- Contributing to ideation and implementation of innovative marketing programs
A passion for poverty alleviation and a good knowledge of social media are required. Interest in urban planning, architecture or international development is desired. Ability to speak Spanish, Portuguese, or Indonesian is a plus.
This position is based in San Francisco, near the Montgomery BART station. Some hours may be worked remotely.
To apply, please email your credentials explaining your interest, qualifications, and why you think you would be successful in marketing URB.im.
Event: LLGA | Cities Summit
14–16 May 2013 San Francisco, California
Leading solution providers connect with municipal decision makers to share and further inform their communities.
It is an exclusive event for representatives from the 22 participating cities and other invited cities, as well as the nominated solution providers. Cities are typically represented by officials related to their challenge as well as representatives from their smart city/innovation departments who are scouting for interesting companies. Although this is an exclusive event, a limited number of tickets are available. Learn more.
Event: 6th Academy of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Annual Conference
29–30 August 2013 Oxford, United Kingdom
The Technology & Management for Development Centre (TMD) will host the 6th Annual Conference for the Academy of Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2013 in Oxford on 29 and 30 August 2013. The Academy of Innovation and Entrepreneurship annual conference has emerged as a comprehensive event focused on pioneering work in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The Annual Conference provides a broad platform to bring together scholars worldwide to present research and to stimulate discussions on critical research issues and new developments in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Learn more.
Opportunity: Smiling World Accelerator Program
The Smiling World Accelerator Program (SWAP) aims to unlock the potential of social enterprises, create a strong deal pipeline for investors, and build ecosystems for impact investing in developing and emerging countries. In October 2011, SWAP was launched in Southeast Asia, attracting over 100 applicants from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. Following intensive screening and due-diligence by our Smiling World iCats Fellows, six early-stage organizations are receiving the necessary support to improve core business areas, strengthen their organizational capabilities, and become eligible for larger investments.
The SWAP is an 9-24 month program for social entrepreneurs seeking to take their organizations to the next level of growth and impact. The program provides hands-on business consulting and customized financial support to outstanding, early-stage social ventures with a high potential for scaling-up and positive impact.
On the investor’s side of the SWAP, we continue to build our resource library, proprietary toolkit and database, and communities of angel investors and mentors in order to provide the relevant resources, supporting networks, and platforms to early-stage organizations. For the SWAP in 2013, we have expanded to Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and China. Learn more.
Event: Social Media Week Lagos 2013: Open and Connected
18–22 February 2013 Lagos, Nigeria
Social Media Week is a worldwide event exploring the social, cultural and economic impact of social media. Our mission is to help people and organizations connect through collaboration, learning and the sharing of ideas and information.
February 2013 will mark the first time Social Media Week takes place on the continent of Africa! Social Media Week Lagos brings together thought leaders, creatives, entrepreneurs and everyday citizens from Nigeria – and throughout the continent and the diaspora – to explore how people and organizations are connecting to share new ideas and information.
“By programming keynotes and panels that look at how Africans – Nigerians in particular – are incorporating social media in their unique social, political, and creative landscapes, Social Media Week Lagos will explore just how important being connected to the world is for 21st century Africans” – Ngozi Odita, Executive Director of Social Media Week Lagos. Learn more.