The Future is Public conference
Published: 28 October 2019
We were co-organisers of the The Future is Public conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on 4-5 December 2019.
We are living in a crucial moment. Cities are on the front lines of today’s most urgent challenges, including fighting climate change and rising inequality, as well as the need to support refugees and provide universal access to public services that are human rights including housing, drinking water and sanitation services, energy, health care and education. These global problems call for public solutions.
A growing network of progressive, green municipalities is developing strategies to tackle these and many other critical issues. Cities are well positioned to explore direct democracy, and advance innovative economic models that build community wealth and create decent jobs. At the same time, we need a national level of coordination and ambition to reverse market fundamentalism, which is the root cause of our collective economic and social crises. Profit-driven, market-based policies led to the privatisation of our public services and to the denigration of solidarity and public service.
The conference aims to bring together practitioners and experts working forwards the democratic ownership of the economy. The Future is Public conference will be held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on 4-5 December 2019. Registration is now open via the website.
First published: 28 October 2019