TED Prize envisions 'The City 2.0'

It seems like everyone has an idea about what the city of the future looks like. And it's no wonder cities are a hot topic. Billions of people live in them and they have the potential to create a more sustainable world.

It's only fitting that TED, the organization that brings people together around innovative thoughts and ideas, is presenting their annual TED Prize to an idea: The City 2.0, the city of the future where we live more sustainably and promote "innovation, education, culture, and economic opportunity."

Awards aren't usually given to ideas, but this an idea that needs special attention. That's why Amy Novogratz, Director of the TED Prize, says they awarded the prize to the idea rather than an individual:

When we launched our search for the next TED Prize winner, we kept running into the same question over and again: how do we build our future cities in a way that reduces energy use, grows the global economy, protects the environment, and improves the quality of life for people around the world?

Typically, TED awards a visionary individual its yearly prize of $100,000 along with a “wish" -- a project that the prize recipient initiates to help "change the world."

But this year anyone with an innovative idea that fits with "The City 2.0" theme can help come up with a "wish" to spark a project that will reimagine our cities.

Tell TED: what's your "wish" for the city of the future?

We'll be anxiously awaiting what you all come up with when the "wish" is announced in February.

Photo: L.A. SCOWEN./Flickr

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com