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Chicago. Amsterdam. Bendigo?
Mayor Margaret O’Rourke today signed an agreement with international organisation Global Smart City and Community Coalition that would see Bendigo swap knowledge with some of the world’s biggest metropolises.
The coalition connects community leaders in member cities that have faced similar challenges. Bendigo is its first Victorian signatory.
Australian director, Paul Budde, said cities did not need to “reinvent the wheel” when addressing changes in the community and should instead use preexisting technologies and networks to find out what worked best.
He said the mayor of Adelaide had already sought help on the topic of security from their counterpart in The Hague, Netherlands.
Government and business leaders, as well as Bendigo residents, could share research and strategies with cities around the world.
There is much to be gained from working with like-minded cities and communities that are equally committed to improving the lives of residents.
- Margaret O'Rourke, mayor
“It is every country’s shared goal to improve the lives of their residents and this can be achieved by everyone working together,” Mr Budde said.
Cr O’Rourke welcomed the chance to put other cities’ successes to work in Bendigo.
“A problem shared is a problem halved and this is a great opportunity to learn from and collaborate with each other,” Cr O’Rourke said.
“There is much to be gained from working with like-minded cities and communities that are equally committed to improving the lives of residents.”
The Global Smart City and Community Coalition is financed by its cities, but the memorandum signing does not commit Bendigo to providing funds.
The agreement is the latest step in a Bendigo Business Council-led bid for federal government smart cities funding.
The project could see a citywide data hub for sharing information between organisations, and a Bendigo bond that would generate funds for infrastructure projects.
A team of business and council leaders flew to Canberra last month, lobbying government ministers to support the project.
Among the aims of the Smarter Bendigo bid is preventing brain drain to bigger cities by creating and preparing employees for technologically advanced jobs.
Mark Kearney
Journalist. Traveller. Pop culture connoisseur. Mark is passionate about education, the arts and social justice, especially stories affecting the LGBTI community.
Journalist. Traveller. Pop culture connoisseur. Mark is passionate about education, the arts and social justice, especially stories affecting the LGBTI community.
