In this compelling episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast, host Lauren Sorkin and Paul Wilson dive deep into the transformative world of digital innovation and urban resilience, featuring an extraordinary case study from Montevideo, Uruguay.
Join us as we journey to Montevideo, where city representatives Andrea de Nigris and Ximena Cidras share the city’s approach to data integration and municipal collaboration. Learn how this vibrant coastal city is breaking down institutional silos, creating open data platforms, and reimagining urban planning through a resilient, technology-driven lens.
The episode explores how cities can use data more effectively, what role leadership plays in driving technological innovation, and how digital transformation can help to create more responsive, adaptive urban environments.
Listeners will be inspired by Montevideo’s innovative strategies, hearing firsthand how a committed team of professionals is transforming city governance. From creating city-wide data observatories to engaging multiple stakeholders in collaborative decision-making, this conversation offers a blueprint for urban innovation.
This episode is sponsored by Visa through the Future Ready Cities Program. Find out more here.
The Speakers
Andre De Nigris,
Advisor, Montevideo Department of Environmental Management.
Ximena Cidras, Advisor, Montevideo Mayor’s Office.
Paul Wilson
Advisory Board Chair
SmartCitiesWorld
Lauren Sorkin
Executive Director
Resilient Cities Network
About Andrea De Nigris
Andrea De Nigris is an Advisor at the Montevideo Department of Environmental Management and the former Coordinator of the Montevideo Resilience Unit.
About Ximena Cidras
Ximena Cidras is an Advisor at the Montevideo Mayor’s Office.
About Paul Wilson
Paul Wilson is the Chair of the SmartCitiesWorld Advisory Board, and Chief Business Officer for the Connected Places Catapult. Paul has more than 25 years’ international leadership, sales and marketing experience in the B2B Technology Media Telecom sector, including being CMO of global digital transformation association TM Forum and $3bn SunGard Financial Systems.
After running the West of England LEP, Paul set up the multi-award-winning Bristol Is Open smart city project in 2014 and created the widely endorsed City as a Platform Manifesto a couple of years later. He went on to advise the UK Government on the design of its 5G Testbeds & Trials programme, and more recently on how the programme should evolve. He is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Bristol’s Smart Internet Lab.
About Lauren Sorkin
Lauren Sorkin is the Executive Director of the Resilient Cities Network where she oversees global efforts to strengthen cities in the face of the complex and interconnected challenges. Leading a team of urban resilience professionals across the globe in collaboration with Chief Resilience Officers in 40 countries, her work builds on the unique capacity, breadth, and legacy of the 100 Resilient Cities Program to enhance the resilience of communities and critical infrastructure. She also serves as an advisor and spokesperson on urban resilience, sustainable finance, climate risk, holistic health and women’s leadership.
