Geneva
Enclaved in between water and mountain lies Switzerland’s second largest city, Geneva. Geneva is a diverse and modern city.
The city is home to many headquarters of international organizations such as the Red Cross and some of the UN agencies. Because of this the city has a high amount of foreign population which gives the city its charm. Geneva has more to offer than headquarter buildings and offices. As you walk around the city you can visit the impressive St. Pierre Cathedral and the Russian Orthodox Church. You can spend a nice evening watching a concert or a play at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Switzerland’s largest stage. Geneva is also world famous for CERN, an educational and research facility that attracts physicists from all over the world. One of Geneva’s main tourist attractions is the Jet D’eau (water jet). The Jet D’eau is a large fountain that projects water 140 meters up in the air. The fountain lights up in different colors for certain events.
Economy
Geneva’s economy is mostly service oriented. The private banking sector is especially well developed. Geneva also hosts the international headquarters of companies, such as Japan Tobacco International, Vitol, and Gunver. Due to the Swiss culture Geneva also has a considerable amount of watchmakers. The headquarters of the Red cross and the UN agencies employ a large number of people.
Future Goals and Interests
Geneva partnered up with different companies to help make the city smarter. It is through one of these partnerships that TOSA came to be. TOSA is a 100% electric, large capacity bus system, the first in the world. These buses will be used in Geneva and will help bring their CO2 emissions down. TOSA is not the only project that has been put in place. One of the other projects is called GéniLac. Using an ingenious system of underground conductors the water of Lake Geneva is used to cool buildings down in the summer and heat them up in the winter. The project was such a success that it has been expanded into the centre of Geneva. Geneva has also been experimenting with smart lightning. The poles for the lights will also be used for other smart solutions such as wifi and parking.
