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Sunderland hosts inaugural Smart City Symposium
Sunderland is bringing together industry experts and thought leaders to explore how it is building a city powered by people and enabled by technology.
Sunderland City Council is hosting its inaugural Smart City Symposium today, where it will showcase the city’s journey to becoming one of the UK’s smartest cities.
The Symposium at Sunderland City Hall will present the council’s vision of building a city powered by people and enabled by technology.
It will include industry experts and guest speakers from tech companies such as Boldyn Networks and Microsoft, while Paul Wilson, chair of SmartCitiesWorld’s advisory board, will discuss smart cities in a global context.
Smarter, connected future
The event will include a variety of discussions about how the city has harnessed advanced technology to enrich the lives of its residents, boost economic growth, and pave the way for a smarter, more connected future, consider the next steps for development and partnership, and how engaging with the conversation on smart cities can benefit businesses and cities far beyond Sunderland.
Sunderland’s investment in digital solutions is having a transformative impact on residents, businesses and visitors – ranging from public service delivery, energy efficiency, smart play, and public safety.
“Sunderland is setting a new standard for urban transformation, moving at a pace that is attracting global attention”
This includes investing in a trial of autonomous mobility, reimagining Sunderland’s transport infrastructure and defining autonomous operations in a real-world city environment, as well as fitting over 6,500 homes with technologies to help keep vulnerable and elderly people safe.
“It was fantastic to reflect on how far Sunderland as a smart city has come, whilst looking forward and contemplating our plans to innovate and push technological advancements further,” said Patrick Melia, chief executive, Sunderland City Council.
“Sunderland is setting a new standard for urban transformation, moving at a pace that is attracting global attention. This conference is not just a showcase of our leading infrastructure and strong partnerships; it is a live debate on how cities can use technology to solve real-world problems.”
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Making sure that no one is left behind, Sunderland has also introduced a city-wide digital inclusion network and established 30 digital hubs in the heart of communities serving over 500,000 people to date. Over 300,000 users access the free Sunderland wifi each month and full fibre to the premise has increased by 110 per cent over the last four years, benefiting both families and businesses.
Beyond this event, Sunderland remains committed to ensuring that technological innovation benefits both local and global communities – a commitment it will further demonstrate through its participation in the upcoming Smart City Expo World Congress 2025 in Barcelona, where it is amongst one of the only three global cities shortlisted for the enabling technologies award.
Liz St Louis, director of smart cities at Sunderland City Council, Seán Keating, chief technology officer UK & Ireland at Boldyn Networks, and Richard Green, Azure lead – local and regional government, Microsoft, will explore the partnership approach taken by the city.
“The work being done in Sunderland is creating a scalable blueprint for cities worldwide,” said Keating. “Together, we are demonstrating that advanced connectivity can and should be designed to deliver social and economic benefits. We look forward to collaborating with fellow industry experts and thought leaders on how we can accelerate the next generation of smart cities and solutions.”
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