Sweden’s Former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt was in the U.S. for The Chicago Forum on Global Cities on May 27-29. Bildt, who can be credited for kicking off the internet revolution in Sweden, was among many experts from around the globe to drive political, social and economic policies and solve critical world challenges. The three-day forum brought together leaders in the major pillars of urban life — business innovators, education visionaries, cultural luminaries, civic pioneers — to discuss how they can collaborate to improve their cities and the world.

Among forums on world economic drivers, the importance of art education, the foreign policy of cities, sustainability and security, Bildt discussed how technology can transform cities. It was during his term as prime minister that he insisted government offices begin using digital media to build resources and communicate, eventually enabling the collection and sharing of data on a range of critical urban challenges, from crime and congestion, to pollution and power-usage.

Metrics show fascinating new insights into how cities function and hold the potential for smarter, more responsive policymaking. Bildt discussed the challenges in obtaining quality data for global analysis, how city leaders can reconcile the collection of big data with individual and international privacy laws, and how cities engage their communities through technology to participate in the advancement of society.

See more at #globalcities2015 and http://www.chicagoforum.org

More information about Bildt's panel can be found here: http://www.chicagoforum.org/speakers/carl-bildt