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'Smart Cities' Symposium Aims to Prepare Local Governments for Seismic Changes Coming with Autonomous VehiclesANN ARBOR, Mich., March 22, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A seismic change is taking place with city planning as smart grids, autonomous vehicles and other innovative mobility services draw closer to becoming commonplace. The upcoming "Smart Cities: A Connected Way Forward" symposium will cover the latest developments that local governments should be following, and what adjustments should be made to infrastructure and land-use plans. "Connected and autonomous vehicles, smart grids, changing urban demographics, and the collection and use of big data – these are a few of the things that are changing our cities and transportation infrastructure," said WCC President Dr. Rose B. Bellanca. "These changes are going to impact us in the same why that mass produced automobiles impacted society 100 years ago. It's going to take long-range planning, systems-thinking and cross-collaboration between business, government and education to ensure we build cities that are livable, workable and sustainable for everyone." The one-day event will be held on the campus of Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Friday, April 6. A full agenda and registration is available at wccnet.edu/smart-cities. The sessions developed for the event are intended for city, county and state planners and engineers; city managers; county administrators; mayors; economic development leaders; information technology directors; public works directors; transportation experts and business/industry representatives. Five hour-long sessions are planned, each led by subject matter experts. The agenda also includes a mid-day lunch and a wrap-up "Smart Cities in Action" panel discussion. Topics include (find full descriptions at wccnet.edu/smart-cities): SMART VEHICLES IN A SMART WORLD SOCIETY 2030 DEMOGRAPHICS SMART CITIES: THE OS FOR PROSPERITY AND INCLUSION THE SMART GRID: ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING AND INITIATIVES VISION, PLANNING AND INITIATIVES AT MDOT SMART CITIES IN ACTION PANEL: IMPLEMENTATION AND VISION The event will also include an exhibit hall, which opens along with registration at 8:30 a.m. and again during lunch. All presentations will take place in Towsley Auditorium, inside the Morris Lawrence Building at WCC (campus map). The cost of the symposium is $60, which includes lunch. For more information, visit wccnet.edu/smart-cities, email [email protected] or call 734-973-3704. For information about Washtenaw Community College visit: wccnet.edu. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smart-cities-symposium-aims-to-prepare-local-governments-for-seismic-changes-coming-with-autonomous-vehicles-300618243.html SOURCE Washtenaw Community College |