The UN predicts that by 2050, two thirds of humanity will be living in cities. If we fail to make the most of our metropolitan environments, the majority of humanity will suffer. Mobility, health, energy, culture, democracy, and climate: everything is interdependent. None of these things can be individually perfected within the complex urban environment, but all can be improved.

These issues are explored in the Nobel Week Dialogue 2021, under the heading “City of the Future”. On 9 December, IYTT Youth Fellows Lisa Mastiaux and Daniel Hakan Urquijo will be joining Paul Romer (Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2018), Kevin Casas-Zamora (Secretary General, International IDEA) and Sanna Ghotbi (Citizen Participation Consultant, Digidem Lab) in a panel on “Democracy and the City”. In this very distinguished context, Lisa and Hakan will have the honour of presenting the IYTT policy proposal developed to address democratic disenchantment through local community assemblies.

Lisa and Hakan will also carry out IYTT Open Chair Democracy Talks with attendees in the Nobel Week Dialogue, during the break between sessions.

This year’s Nobel Week Dialogue will be a hybrid event with a global digital audience online, as well as a limited audience present at Svenska Mässan in Gothenburg. There will be a mix of speakers participating digitally and physically on stage.