Jakarta to host 2015 New Cities Summit: “This is Indonesia’s Moment”

• Renowned Event to gather 800 urban leaders, thinkers and innovators at the Ciputra Artpreneur, Jakarta, June 9 – 11, 2015
• Theme: Seizing the Urban Moment: Cities at the Heart of Growth and Development
• Indonesian capital is first Asian city to host Summit following Europe (Paris), Latin America (São Paulo) and North America (Dallas)

Jakarta, Indonesia and Geneva, Switzerland – November 6, 2014. The New Cities Foundation and the City of Jakarta today announced that the fourth edition of the New Cities Summit will take place in Jakarta, the vibrant capital of Indonesia, on June 9 – 11, 2015. The celebrated annual event gathers some 800 of the world’s leading decision-makers, mayors, CEOs, entrepreneurs, thinkers, artists and innovators.

The New Cities Summit fosters positive urban change through cross-sector network building, cutting-edge forums and action-oriented discussion. Following a rigorous global competition, Jakarta was selected by the New Cities Foundation as host city for the 2015 Summit in order to address specific challenges and opportunities faced by Asian metropolises.

The theme for the 2015 New Cities Summit is Seizing the Urban Moment: Cities at the Heart of Growth and Development. The next three decades will see the largest increase in the world’s urban population in human history. By the middle of this century, 6.5 billion people will live in cities, up from 4 billion today.

This unprecedented demographic shift is leading to a wave of investments in urban services and infrastructure on a scale never seen before. More than ever, new technologies are enabling individuals and companies to find innovative solutions to perennial urban challenges. In tandem, cultural centers and reimagined public spaces are transforming the urban environment in new ways. Together, these changes are paving the way to an extraordinary moment of opportunity to improve life for future generations, worldwide. In order to successfully seize this moment, city leaders will need to implement smart investments and programs in key areas such as infrastructure, mobility, health and education, culture and public spaces.

Asian cities are at the center of this urban moment. India and China’s combined urban populations are projected to grow by a staggering 700 million people by 2050. Within the next decade, Indonesia’s urban population will reach183 million, up from 120 million today.

The population of greater Jakarta will grow from about 27 million today to well over 40 million by 2050. This vast and diverse metropolis faces several important challenges as it manages its rapid demographic and economic growth – thus making it an ideal location from which to discuss and act upon the opportunities raised by rapid global urbanization.

John Rossant, Founder and Chairman of the New Cities Foundation, said: “Jakarta is one of the world’s most dynamic cities and one of Asia’s rising stars. It’s the capital of a great democracy and the fourth most-populous country on earth – and also the epicenter of Indonesia’s rise as a global economic powerhouse. We are excited to be coming to Asia for our next big global conversation on cities. It will be an important opportunity to put an international spotlight on the biggest challenges and opportunities faced by cities in this region. This is truly Jakarta’s moment and Indonesia’s moment.”

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Acting Governor of Jakarta, said: “As Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta is one of the country’s most important tourism destinations for leisure and business events, center of government and commerce. It is a melting pot of culture blending the old tradition and modern lifestyle. It offers historic sites, heritage trails, shopping and dining adventure, entertainment, marine, golf and spa. As gateway to Indonesia and the country’s meeting capital, it has a wide range of state-of-the-art meeting facilities supported by reputable hotels of world class standard. We proudly invite all New Cities Summit delegates to meet in Jakarta. We are excited
to be host to all of you and ensure you will have an enjoyable time during your stay.
The people of Jakarta and I look forward to welcoming you in 2015.”

The program for the Jakarta New Cities Summit 2015 will be announced shortly. For regular updates, follow the New Cities Foundation’s Twitter page, @newcitiesfound - #ncs2015.

Participants will come from a range of disciplines including politics, business, technology, finance, energy, infrastructure, architecture and design, the arts and the media.

For regular updates, follow the New Cities Foundation’s Twitter page, @newcitiesfound - #ncs2015.

Find out more about the New Cities Summit 2015 in Jakarta: http://bit.ly/ncs2015

Ends

About the New Cities Summit

Organized by the New Cities Foundation, the New Cities Summit is the premier global leadership event on the future of cities. Fostering positive urban change, the high level gathering advocates cross-sector collaboration through network building, cutting-edge forums and lively discussion. The Summit showcases and disseminates the best ideas on the future of cities and generates concrete, scalable solutions capable of being adopted and replicated across the world. The speaker program is constructed by the New Cities Foundation, with the support of its members and partners, to reflect the most incisive, innovative thinking on the future city. 

The New Cities Summit 2015 will be hosted in Jakarta, Indonesia from June 9 – 11, following past editions in Dallas (2014), São Paulo (2013) and Paris (2012).

Find out more about past editions of the Summit: http://www.newcitiesfoundation.org/new-cities-summit/

Watch the highlights from the 2014 New Cities Summit: http://bit.ly/NCS2014film Read the e-book: http://bit.ly/NCS2014Ebook

About the New Cities Foundation

The New Cities Foundation is a leading global non-profit organization with a vision to build more inclusive, dynamic and creative cities benefiting people and society. Its mission is to incubate, promote and scale urban innovations through collaborative partnerships between government, business, academia and civil society.

The New Cities Foundation hosts a number of leadership events on the most pressing urban issues, including its flagship annual event, the New Cities Summit. The Foundation’s think-and-do-tank, the Urban (co)LAB, manages pilot projects and thought leadership initiatives, such as Cityquest, a community of the builders of large-scale new city projects - incorporating a high-level event, fellowship program and working group (www.cityquest.net). The Urban (co)LAB also organizes the AppMyCity! contest for the world’s best urban app and the WhatWorks urban innovator speaker series.

An independent, non-profit organization, the New Cities Foundation was created in 2010 and is financed by its members and partners. Overall, its members include some of the most forward-thinking companies, universities, cities and city organizations from around the world. The New Cities Foundation’s Founding Members are Cisco and Ericsson. The Foundation is based in Geneva and its head office is in Paris. For more information about the New Cities Foundation, please visit:

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