We are into the third day of Design in the Age of Experience! (You can check day one and day two recaps as well.)

Today’s sessions focused on how we design cities. As evolving ecosystems, cities are home to growing populations. Speakers explored the tremendous potential of regenerative urban design, and how to create the more fulfilling and personalized experiences that residents are seeking.

Masahiko Yamagishi from Honda Power Products started the day, taking the audience on a futuristic journey to explain his company’s vision for Ignition Design. He shared their approach to design, why it is inspired by the ideas of individuals and how it contributes to sustainability. He talked about making products that are aesthetically beautiful that also deliver maximum performance, and showed their futuristic lawn mower designed to assist people in mowing the lawns of smart city rooftops and gardens.  Attendees are able to see the product in our 3DEXPERIENCE Playground.

The next session featured Gianluca Brugnoli from McKinsey & Company discussing design’s role in business strategy. Using real-life examples from McKinsey’s latest research, Brugnoli explained how companies can unlock the business potential of design to boost business performances. He talked about how design is more than a product, and that companies must prioritize listening to customers and their experiences because that is the key to creating sustainable, human-focused design strategies that outperform competitors.

What is the power of design in connecting cities and creating intelligent urban spaces? Our next session featured a panel that explored this question. Professor Tuba Kocaturk from the School of Architecture and Built Environment at Austraila’s Deakin University, Cristiano Ceccato, Associate Director at Zaha Hadid Architects and Caroline Naphegyi, Program Director at Lille Metropole 2020, World Design Capital covered topics including design as a methodology to improve performance of cities, how to create new experiences for citizens and seeing a city as an intelligent, connected ecosystem.

Following the panel was Arthur Leroux of France’s Enogia – a company that designs, manufactures and sells modules that transform waste heat into electricity. Leroux talked about sustainable and renewable energy production for urban spaces.

Ending the day was a panel on the future of mobility. Many technologies and scenarios have emerged that question humans’ relationship to machines and how we share our space. The speakers – Gadi Amit, President of Technology Design Studio at San Francisco’s NewDealDesign and Erik Grab, Vice President  in charge of Strategic Anticipation and Innovation at Michelin – looked at the changing relationship between human beings and our interactions with space and vehicles, and how business leaders can prepare, adapt and stay relevant as positive contributors to society.

In addition to these compelling speakers, activity remains brisk in the exhibition areas.

There are also five Hackathon teams redesigning a district in Milan with the purpose of making urban life better and more sustainable. The projects will soon be revealed! Voting takes place tomorrow; in the meantime, you can watch this video to understand more about the challenge they are addressing.

Tomorrow’s agenda is built around looking at how design is an advocate for social change. We hope you’ll return to these pages for a recap!