Cities are a fertile source for new initiatives, be it social, cultural, artistic, or economic, because of the diversity of people and activities situated closely together. Prof. dr. Roland Ortt, endowed professor Urban Innovation Management delivered his inaugural lecture 'Technological Innovation in Cities' on 5th of July at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Chair established by Stichting Toekomstbeeld der Techniek.
Cities represent an environment where most world inhabitants live, and most economic activities occur. Cities are a fertile source for new initiatives, be it social, cultural, artistic, or economic, because of the diversity of people and activities situated closely together. The same diversity and closeness also create serious social and technological problems. The predicted growth of cities will make these problems more complex and will require innovative solutions, both technological, social and in terms of governance. To develop such solutions, new approaches and processes, as well as inter-disciplinary collaboration, are required.
Real change in a city requires a combination of new policies, new behavioural patterns of interest groups and new strategies and business models of companies and organisations involved. How can these different types of innovations be combined in practice? This is the central question of the Urban Innovation Management chair.
About Roland Ortt
Prof.dr. Roland Ortt (1964) is appointed endowed professor in Urban Innovation Management at Erasmus University Rotterdam as of 1 May 2022. The chair has been established by the Netherlands Study Centre for Technology Trends (STT) and is embedded in the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for BOLD Citiesl. Roland Ortt is also associate professor of Technology and Innovation Management at the faculty of Technology, Policy and Management of Delft University of Technology