What the 2012 TED Prize Means for ‘The City 2.0’

The organization behind the high-profile uber-conference TED has announced an unusual winner for the 2012 iteration of its TED Prize. The award is formally presented at the annual TED conference in February, when the winner announces his or her “wish” – a project that builds off the $100,000 prize money and the enthusiasm of the TED community to participate in somehow making the world a better place. This year’s winner, though, is a little different. It’s not a person, but rather an idea – and a big one: The City 2.0.

“Cities are the great hope for our future,” says Chris Anderson, curator of TED. He says the organization was thinking about people and projects worth supporting and awarding for the 2012 prize like usual, but got a little distracted. “This theme of the importance of cities for the future of planet earth kept coming up.”