PUBLICATION "CITIES OF OPPORTUNITIES: CONNECTING CULTURE AND INNOVATION"

Edited by Pomeroy Studio (www.pomeroystudio.sg)

BOOKLET LINK

BUY THE BOOK HERE

Please find above the chapter that I wrote in the publication that was launched at the United Nations Habitat - World Urban Forum (WUF) in Abu Dhabi (Feb. 8-13).

This paper summarizes the Cities of Love journey going from producing international feature-films illustrating love in prominent cities, to contributing to sustainable urban development globally.

BUILDING EMPOWERING MEDIA ECOSYSTEMS FOR CITIES by Emmanuel Benbihy - When we envision sustainable urban development, we omit a key element that makes everything possible at the scale required: sustainable media and content. Traditional film and media industries are under the influence of unsound industry logics. Their pursuit of profit, therefore of people’s attention at any cost, has become detrimental to human development. Instead of creating nurtured content, private media owners tend to appeal to the lowest impulses of their audience. Our future lies in cities and urban communities. We have an opportunity to create positive media outlets and responsible media ecosystems under the umbrella of these cities whose purpose will be to reconnect us with life, to empower us as urban citizens, and to inspire us to take part in sustainable development. Media has a duty to reconnect people, serve development and promote diversity and peace. The Cities of Love global initiative is applying innovative media models to the smart and sustainable development of cities. It has started to demonstrate the positive impact when city authorities, businesses, creative professionals and urban citizens come together to celebrate urban life and act for development. Using smart media to help build smart cities, and to engage people towards a better future, is fundamental today. Using social media to spread good news and to help people convey pride and happiness in being together are key contributions to human prosperity. Together, we can give media a completely new role in our societies, and we can create and showcase content that entertains, inspires people and drives sustainable development.

EMMANUEL BENBIHY, Producer, Cities of Love global initiative / Shanghai, China - Emmanuel Benbihy has 25 years of experience as a creator, strategist and film producer. He has been living in Shanghai since 2009. With the movie Paris, je t’aime, he created the ‘Cities of Love’ series, now pursuing its journey around the world (New York, Rio, Berlin, Jerusalem, LA, Shanghai, to name a few). The ‘Cities of Love’ global initiative is building the ‘communities of the people who love their cities’ through creative city-centric media platforms and initiatives. Benbihy is developing a network of non-profit enterprises whose purpose is to engage millions, lift spirits, foster creative contribution to city life and support sustainable urban development.

More about the WORLD URBAN FORUM