In Situ met Cristian over coffee in October 2016. This portrait was written by Maria Myridinas and Nina Llado. Cristian Santibanez graduated in 2012 from the master's programme, Governing the Large Metropolis. During his final semester, he had the opportunity to join the funding team at the New Cities Foundation as an intern. This internship quickly turned into a job, and Cristian joined the organisation as a full-time employee.
At the time, cities were taking a considerable place in various discussions. Cristian joined New Cities Foundation at a moment when they had secured funding for two pilot projects. The Foundation had to create two content pieces and organise a network. His main idea was to bring together mayors, businesses (including GE and Ericsson), their vice-presidents or business leaders, as well as researchers and representatives from recognised institutes and research centres, along with urban citizen movements as a means to generate debate about cities and how to foster innovation so that cities can become better places and engines of improvement.
Cristian participated in organising this event for nearly three years. They built a global community of innovators, start-ups, and partner organisations. They also conducted research on several topics. Cristian was particularly involved in analysing the results of an initiative to provide backpacks filled with health products to primary healthcare units in Rio de Janeiro. In addition to this, he was responsible for events aimed at private developers to showcase new products related to the theme of "new cities". To put it simply, he spent three years exploring the space of urban innovation.
After three years of intense commitment and hard work at the New Cities Foundation, Cristian wanted to work on other projects. It was at this point that he met Ross Douglas, who was looking for people to bring an urban mobility-focused event to life. The idea was to create an urban mobility festival called AUTONOMY, which took place two weeks ago from 6th to 9th October 2016 in La Villette. It has been one of the largest urban mobility festivals in the world to date. During this time, Cristian developed a consultancy on urban innovation, creating his own company that is currently developing a project in Myanmar, with its first client being the internationally renowned JAICA.
As for the future, it remains uncertain, but AUTONOMY is set to play a significant role in his plans, as it is a project that will continue to build and grow in the coming years.
Reflecting on his years as a student at Sciences Po in the Urban School, Cristian emphasises the entrepreneurial vision of the school. It was indeed created by a team of researchers passionate about urban change and eager to study the changes taking place in cities as well as within the political structures of the city, impacting the lives of many urban dwellers.
His advice for students of the Urban School
If you want to make an impact, focus on how cities are changing. Then, you can create and disseminate ideas on different subjects. Opportunities are right in front of you, but you must be able to find and seize them. Quickly identify what motivates you, as there is indeed enough space to explore it!
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