What will urban life be like in the future, and how would we like to see it evolve? This year’s Nobel Week Dialogue will bring together science and society for an in-depth look at “The City of the Future “. On 9 December four laureates will join architects, writers, young leaders and experts to discuss their ideas and visions.  

Despite the pressures of urban life and all the challenges that cities have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no signs that urbanisation will end. The United Nations predicts that two thirds of the world’s population will be city dwellers by 2050.

Among those who have devoted a great deal of thought to urban life is economic sciences laureate Paul Romer, who will be one of the panellists at the 2021 Nobel Week Dialogue. He will raise questions about cities that do not yet exist: “Most people, when they think about cities, think about the existing set of cities and how they will evolve. Part of what I’ve been trying to encourage everybody to think about is that new cities are still emerging and will continue to emerge. Probably the most important question we can ask about the future of the cities, is what’s the future for these new cities.”

Professor Romer, who was awarded the 2018 Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, will be joined during the conference by the following Nobel Prize laureates: Brian Schmidt, physics (2011), Frances Arnold, chemistry (2018) and Wole Soyinka, literature (1986).

Laura Sprechmann, CEO of Nobel Prize Outreach, provides her view of the conference:
“The Nobel Week Dialogue brings together science and society to discuss a topic of major importance to our future. I am looking forward to the event where we can challenge our thoughts and ideas about what a city can and should be.”

This year’s Nobel Week Dialogue on 9 December will have a global digital audience and a limited local audience in Gothenburg. Some of the panellists will be physically present and others will participate via video link. Themes that will be discussed during the conference include sustainable urbanisation, public space, health, inequality, smart cities and democracy. A special part of the programme will be devoted to the future direction of African cities.

The Nobel Week Dialogue is organised by Nobel Prize Outreach in partnership with Carl Bennet AB, Ericsson, the City of Gothenburg, Volvo Group and Region Västra Götaland with support from the Carlsberg Foundation and the Sten A Olsson Foundation for Research and Culture.

Panellists

Here you will find the complete list of panellists.