CPS Energy is the foundation to the next frontier of San Antonio

A unique two-day event called the City of the Future launched a national forum to inspire communities, people and companies to create actionable smart city partnerships. Taken with a human-focused approach, CPS Energy partnered with Zpryme, an energy and technology research company, to invite hundreds of changemakers and influencers to participate in this dynamic learning experience at the Tobin Center, Feb. 25-26, in San Antonio, Texas.

A series of thought-provoking speakers, a virtual reality (VR) display depicting San Antonio decades from now, and tours to innovative facilities, including EPIcenter, encapsulated the City of the Future conference. One thing was made most apparent—the major energy decisions that will be made by CPS Energy in the future is naturally woven into the cutting-edge ideas and discussions that echoed throughout the event. The fact of the matter is that the future of San Antonio and the future of CPS Energy are intertwined. This makes it incredibly important that future developments are public-driven with core community needs in mind.

“As the largest municipally-owned entity providing gas and electric, we serve a huge community that resides in the seventh largest city in the nation,” said Paula Gold-Williams, President & CEO. “Our community is diverse, and we have all types of industries and businesses here. The utility is the foundation for the innovative efforts that the city will drive well into the future.” *

The City of San Antonio actively participated in the conference with members of the Office of Innovation and Office of Sustainability speaking to community-driven tech solutions, healthy cities and strategies to building a sustainable future.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg engaged in an intriguing discussion about future-ready cities with the City of Darmstadt, Germany’s Lord Mayor Jochen Partsch. Darmstadt, a city with a population of 161,000, is widely known for pioneering digital urban planning. The city is naturally a hub of innovation as it is home to tech companies, research institutes and many university graduates in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects. The discussion continued at EPIcenter’s Global Lecture Series, comparing and contrasting how Europe and the United States have approached the integration of innovative technology into their respective communities.

Beyond technology, people are the center of the City of the Future. Keeping San Antonio a place to call home for a growing population and maintaining the uniqueness of our city is a major priority in the process. Did you miss out on City of the Future? Check out full coverage of the two-day conference by clicking here. Check out more photos from the conference by clicking here.

*Quote taken from excerpt of ETS Profile interview conducted by Zpryme.