City leadership is mission-critical to managing the climate crisis

MEMBERSHIP

WEBINARS

MEMBERSHIP

Webinar (29 Sept): How data and AI support better decisions to bolster city operations

SmartCitiesWorld webinar will explore how local authorities can strengthen workforce decision-making by combining unified data, agentic AI and secure digital foundations.

OnDemand Panel Discussion: Resilient infrastructure – planning, prioritising and protecting critical assets

In this SmartCitiesWorld Summit 2026 virtual panel discussion, discover how cities can move towards a more strategic, risk-based approach to infrastructure resilience.

How Dublin is moving from AI curiosity to capability

Ahead of the next AI CityXchange workshop in Dublin, Alan Murphy, Regional Manager at Smart Dublin, discusses where AI can genuinely add value, and where caution is required.

Cayala: Guatemala’s private 15-minute city

Juan Carlos Lopez, CTO and Chief of the Value Management Office at Cayala, explains how agile transformation, digital infrastructure and community-led services are supporting the expansion of one of Central America’s largest private cities.

Smart Cities Reports

SmartCitiesWorld City Profile – Singapore

Find out how the island city-state of Singapore is further building its reputation as one of the smartest nations in the world in the latest SmartCitiesWorld City Profile.

SmartCitiesWorld City Profile – Sunderland

Find out how Sunderland is repositioning itself as a leading smart city – using digital infrastructure and low-carbon innovation to build a resilient, future-focused economy in the latest SmartCitiesWorld City Profile.

Podcasts

Podcast: Tracking the journey from smart cities to AI cities (part two)

Re-join our in-depth conversation with Professor Jung Hoon Lee, exploring how AI is moving from pilots to real-world impact in cities worldwide.

Podcast: Tracking the journey from smart cities to AI cities (part one)

Professor Jung Hoon Lee joins the SmartCitiesWorld Podcast to talk the latest Global Smart City Index, the emerging “AI super gap” between cities, and why the next phase of urban innovation depends on data platforms, AI-ready infrastructure, and effective governance.

Opinions

Securing lighting: protecting the backbone of connected cities Sponsored by Paradox Engineering

Fabio Mauri, Head of Technology Operations and Cybersecurity at Paradox Engineering, explains why cybersecurity must be built into smart lighting infrastructure to protect the connected systems and services modern cities increasingly rely on.

AI’s next stop: transforming urban transportation responsiblySponsored by Microsoft

As transport agencies turn to AI to improve services, the greatest opportunities will depend on strong data foundations, workforce readiness and responsible governance, says Microsoft’s Katherine Flesh.

Home | Energy & Environment | Cop26 | Cop26 Charter

Most people now live in cities which are the epicentres of human activity. While covering 3 per cent of earth's surface, cities consume 78 per cent of the world's energy and produce more than 60 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.

With this in mind, SmartCitiesWorld and our Advisory Board (made up of cities, city networks and industry experts) have put forward 10 principles that we believe should be reflected in any COP26 agreement. (You can read our Special Report by our Editor, Luke Antoniou)

These principles will help us all in the move towards net zero carbon emissions and also immeasurably improve the lives of a city's citizens.

Pledge your support and help SmartCitiesWorld spotlight the critical role cities will play in delivering a sustainable future, and how important it is that they are given the full support of national governments in doing so.

Add your name to the SmartCitiesWorld Open letter to COP26 leaders

10 Principles

INCLUSION: Including all citizens in decision making drives the best results. The hallmarks of good city governance are participation, transparency, accountability and open data.

DIVERSITY: Encouraging diversity is a key principle in fostering city-scale resilience and sustainability.

RESILIENCE: Cities with a resilience strategy are better equipped to protect their citizens and environment from the worst effects of climate change.

WELLBEING: City strategies measured by wellbeing indices deliver better long term outcomes than cities driven by economic measure alone.

GREEN SPACES: The cities that create and preserve green spaces for native trees and flora create bigger long-term resilience, wellbeing, and prosperity for their citizens and the bio-sphere.

NATIONAL-LEVEL SUPPORT: Cities committing to net-zero targets and a 'just transition' should be actively encouraged and supported by national government programmes to help nations achieve their ambitions.

INFRA-STRUCTURE: The best cities give citizens access to infrastructure that provides physical safety, clean sanitation, waste disposal, clean air, a renewable energy supply, digital connectivity.

SYSTEMS THINKING: Nations that equip leaders with systems thinking, including the ability to build on system synergies and circular economy principles, are most likely to meet their challenging net zero targets.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY: Cities using secure digital technology to measure and manage activity across city-systems are more able to bring about effective local change then those without the data.