The city government served as a panelist in one of the main areas of discussions during the 12th Asia Smart City Conference 2023 in Yokohama, Japan.
Micaela Gay Rimando of the City Planning, Development, and Sustainability Office was part of the Baguio delegation to Yokohama with Engr. Marivic Empizo of the City Environment and Parks Management Office and led by Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
The mayor was a panelist on the topic “Making cities green, resilient, and inclusive in a changing climate” and “Unlivable: What the urban heat island effect means for East Asia’s cities” under the topic of Designing Livable and Thriving Cities.
Other topics tackled during the conference include Asian Cities Together Towards Zero Carbon (Yokohama Decarbonization Efforts) and Pathways to Sustainable Development on the Foundations of Knowledge.
Rimando said the conference had the following implications on Baguio’s projects, programs, and activities (PPAs): Be the lead towards climate action aligned with national goals, implementation of the Baguio City Green and Resilient City Roadmap, and application of Knowledge Management (KM) in PPAs for better analysis and planning.
As part of its actions to move forward, Baguio extended an invitation for cities to join in declaring unity in co-creating a sustainable and resilient zero-carbon future.
The city is also at phase 2 of its Green and Resilient efforts and has drafted a proposal for a KM system that can be accessible and easily updated.
Rimando said Baguio’s participation in the Yokohama Conference is part of the city’s journey towards attaining decarbonization and a smart future.
Presently, the local government has established a Smart Cities Command Center at the Baguio Convention and Cultural Center aimed at making Baguio a Smart City where technology is used to help solve some of its pressing problems like traffic, waste management, safety, and security. – Gaby B. Keith
