California, USA –January 30, 2012: CITRIS is proud to announce that it is the newest academic member of the New Cities Foundation (NCF) (www.newcitiesfoundation.org). NCF is a Swiss non-profit institution that aims to be the premier high-level platform for innovation and exchange on the future of urbanization, meeting the challenges of urban population growth to build more sustainable, innovative and equitable communities in the developed and the emerging world.
In November 2011, NCF launched a Task Force on connected commuting in San Jose, California, working closely with CITRIS as its primary academic partner on the pilot project. The Task Force is investigating the economic, environmental and behavioral impact of connecting commuters in the Bay Area via smartphone social media platforms, enabling them to share real time information with one another. The world leading research team at
CITRIS will be conducting the Task Force’s research and data analysis using its advanced systems developed for analyzing and visualizing large, complex datasets.
CITRIS Director Paul Wright said, “Since its establishment, CITRIS has worked to support a transformation in how the world’s scarce resources are managed for the benefit of all. With the dramatic rise in the proportion of the world’s population that live in cities, CITRIS is well positioned to make a significant contribution to helping cities adapt and evolve more effectively to meet the needs of their citizens. We believe that our partnership with the New Cities Foundation will significantly help CITRIS make an impact and achieve the vision of its founders”.
“We are very pleased to welcome CITRIS as an academic member,” said Executive Director of NCF, Mathieu Lefevre. “As an institution that conducts cutting-edge research in key topic areas like water, transportation and public health, CITRIS’ capabilities are instrumental in contributing to the body of knowledge needed to improve urban resource management. We are excited to include CITRIS in our member network.”
The upcoming New Cities Summit, which will be held in Paris in May 2012, is the centerpiece of the New Cities Foundation’s work. Building on a recognized track record in organizing high-level global forums, the New Cities Summit aims to be the leading annual global forum on new urbanization. This invitation-only forum, which will take place at Paris La Défense, will bring together global thought leaders in technology, infrastructure, architecture, energy, transport, water, national and local government, the media, academia and the non-profit sector.
Supported by leading companies such as GE, Cisco, Ericsson, Orange, GDF Suez and Galeries Lafayette, NCF’s diverse membership base also comprises world-class research and non-profit institutions, including the Senseable City Lab at MIT, NYU Wagner, HEC Paris, Gateway House in India, Metropolis and others.
For more information, please call 510-643-8489 or email Aldridge@citris-uc.org. More about the NCF can be found at
• www.newcitiesfoundation.org
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Cities-Foundation/136152139746668
• http://twitter.com/newcitiesfound