VIDEO: ABB’s Haider Rashid talks “smart cities” at WEF

“3 and 1/2 billion people living in cities, another 3 billion to come – we’ve got to make those cities smart, otherwise we’re going to go the wrong way.”

Growing up in New York City, I was constantly surrounded by lights and skyscrapers galore, cramped on a small island of over 8 million people. And I often wondered how “the city that never sleeps” could keep growing, squeezing in more and more people and buildings and businesses, and still fulfill their energy needs, day and night? The answer is, it can’t. Not without blackouts. And not without pollution you can see, smell, even taste. And this in a city that has been a bustling metropolis for over 100 years. New York should know by now, should know what to expect, and to be able to meet those demands, and then some.

But what about the newer, growing cities? They are learning those lessons now. And the world’s cities desperately need solutions, and fast.

How, for example, does a growing economy like Singapore’s limit its carbon footprint while still sustaining economic growth?

“Smart cities”

That’s the solution ABB’s Haider Rashid offered last week at the World Economic Forum on East Asia, in a session called “Chasing the Next Big Idea.” The answer, Rashid says, is not exactly a new idea, but one that has been staring us in the face. It’s just that now, it can be, and needs to be done right. And it must happen now.

For some of the highlights, please click on the video below (to watch the full session, click here)…