Theme: A day of urban inspiration

This year, for the first time ever, the TED Prize went not to an individual, but to an idea on which our planet’s future depends: the City 2.0.

For one day only, the TEDx platform will harness the power of people across the globe to encourage them to host a TEDx event themed “City 2.0″ event at their favorite local spots, featuring the brightest local minds and biggest hearts. In unison, we’ll share the stories of our beloved homes: where are the bright spots? The creative adaptations? The transformative responses to injustice? Who is asking the most pressing questions? Pioneering the most complex solutions? Speakers can focus on themes including culture, transportation, education, sanitation, recreation – all elements whose presence will dictate the success of our future cities.

In addition, as part of this global collaboration, we are piloting Action pitch sessions during our TEDxCity2.0 day event -- giving innovators the opportunity to pitch ideas for urban transformation that will inspire their local community and the global TEDx network in the process. We are offering up to five members of our community the chance to propose projects around the theme of “City 2.0”.

These pitch sessions will be rapid and energetic, giving each participant two minutes to get the crowd excited about their idea. Everyone who attends will vote to have the winning project adopted and realized by our community. The unfolding story of our City 2.0 Actions will be documented on TheCity2.org website, allowing those in the global TEDx and urban advocacy communities to learn from one another.

The best City 2.0 Actions will be creative, communal and contextualized. They should build on the best of what our city has to offer and meet the most frustrating of its challenges. Importantly, it should blend idealism with pragmatism: What can you and your community do, realistically, in a short amount of time to make the biggest improvement on your local urban experience?

Projects should fall within the current City 2.0 themes: education, housing, art, public space, food, transportation, play, safety and health.

If you are interested in submitting an Action, please fill out a form. We will read all the submissions and select five finalists to present to our community on October 13th. The five finalists will be featured on this website, so that our community can learn more about their plans.

NewSchool of Architecture and Design
1249 F Street
San Diego, California, 92101
United States