OnDemand Trend Report Panel Discussion: Operating smarter: using digital twins and AI to reshape urban infrastructure management

Discover how AI-powered digital twins are transforming urban infrastructure and how these innovations can improve efficiency, resilience, and sustainability.

OnDemand Webinar: Preparing for AI - understanding the data groundwork with Sunderland

Discover how Sunderland is turning a strong, city‑wide data foundation into real‑world impact by using secure, scalable AI to transform planning, services, and community outcomes.

SmartCitiesWorld Summit 2026: connecting climate action, resilience and urban innovation

As cities confront the combined pressures of climate change, infrastructure resilience and digital transformation, the SmartCitiesWorld Summit 2026 will bring together urban leaders and partners during London Climate Action Week to explore how these agendas intersect – and how cities can translate strategy into practical action.

Podcast: How cities can tackle their biggest challenges through partnershipSponsored by Venturous Group

Benson Tam of Venturous Group and Michael Kwok of Arup explain how innovative public and private partnerships are pushing the envelope for the future of cities.

Smart Cities Reports

SmartCitiesWorld City Profile – Shenzhen

SmartCitiesWorld City Profiles explore the city of Shenzhen, designated as China’s first special economic zone and a role model of urban modernisation. Find out more about Shenzhen’s smart city strategy in this 16-page report.

SmartCitiesWorld City Profile – Sydney

In 2020, the City of Sydney released a Smart City Strategic Framework to harness the opportunities brought about by digital disruption, to plan for uncertainty and to sustain a global reputation as a leading place to live, work, learn and visit.

Podcasts

Podcast: Using mobility data to shape the future of citiesSponsored by TomTom

TomTom’s Ralf-Peter Schäfer discusses the power of real-time data in reshaping city life, and what the future holds for smart urban mobility.

Podcast: How cities can tackle their biggest challenges through partnershipSponsored by Venturous Group

Benson Tam of Venturous Group and Michael Kwok of Arup explain how innovative public and private partnerships are pushing the envelope for the future of cities.

Opinions

Cities Climate Action Summit 2024 – meet the exhibitor: Latitudo 40

Latitudo 40 sits at the convergence of satellite imagery analysis and AI and will demonstrate the vital role satellite data has to play in helping cities tackle the challenges of climate change.

Cities Climate Action Summit 2024 – meet the exhibitor: SSE Energy Solutions

SSE Energy Solutions will show how by leveraging the power of smart city data, cities have a key role to play in lowering carbon emissions and energy consumption and costs.

Home | Opinions

22 - 26 June 2026: Find out more

Latest City Profile

SmartCitiesWorld City Profile – Sunderland

Smart Cities Reports

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.

Latest Trend Report

Trend Report: The impact of AI and data on transportation operations and services

Trend Series

Delve into how cities are addressing the challenges of building intelligent transport systems and using AI and data to transform operations and user experience.

Latest Webinar

Panel Discussion (30 Jun): Unlocking value in cities from buildings, data and AI

Webinars

Explore how AI, building data and connected urban infrastructure can help cities improve sustainability, resilience and operational performance.

Latest Summit Speakers
(22-26 June)

Lord Marvin Rees OBE

Former Mayor

Bristol City Council

Find out more

Julie Foley OBE

Director of Flood Risk Strategy & Adaptation

Environment Agency

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Sherelle Fairweather

Digital Strategy Lead

Manchester’s Digital Strategy

Find out more

Jaromir Beranek

Deputy Mayor for Transport

City of Prague

Find out more

Liz St Louis

Smart City Director

Sunderland City Council

Find out more

Cllr Susan Aitken

Leader

Glasgow City Council

Find out more

Mark Wheeler

CIO

Montgomery County

Find out more

John Moran

Mayor

Limerick City and County Council

Find out more

Matjaž Rakovec

Mayor

City of Kranj

Find out more

Erin Mendenhall

Mayor

Salt Lake City

Find out more

Julia King

The Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE FREng FRS

House of Lords

Find out more

Latest Podcast

Cities Thriving on Lighting, Episode 3 – What global cities are learning from smart lighting

Podcasts

Join the final episode of Cities Thriving on Lighting to discover how global cities are approaching smart lighting and the related cybersecurity risks today.

Latest Urban Exchange Podcast

Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 32 – Flood and energy resilience in Quezon City

Urban Exchange Podcast

Tune in for the latest Urban Exchange where we get a first-hand account of city resilience measures from Quezon City following unexpected extreme rainfall.

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Cities in Motion Index ranks the smartest global cities

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SmartCitiesWorld Newsletters (Daily/Weekly)

Our editorial newsletter pulls together our latest news items into one email, direct to your inbox. We also feature our latest city interviews, Special Reports and Guest Opinions.

Opinions

We ask cities and industry experts from around the world to give us their opinion on smart city technology and challenges.

Join the UN to discuss responsible geospatial and physical AI

Opinions24 Apr 2026by Paul Wilson

The UN Virtual Worlds Day event will explore how we can turn AI, spatial intelligence, and the Citiverse ecosystem into trusted, people-centred outcomes, explains Paul Wilson, so why not join the conversation?

Fuad Alsagoff: Senior Manager, Mobility Payment Systems, Urban Solutions, ST Engineering

How AI and biometrics are shaping next-generation mobility payments

Opinions04 Nov 2025by Fuad Alsagoff: Senior Manager, Mobility Payment Systems, Urban Solutions, ST Engineering

Fuad Alsagoff, Senior Manager, Mobility Payment Systems, Urban Solutions at ST Engineering, explains how mobility payments are evolving with a new wave of technology – and how openness and inclusive services are driving adoption.

Mostafa Othman: Smart Cities Programme Director, Honeywell

Embedding intelligence: from smart to cognitive cities

Opinions31 Oct 2025by Mostafa Othman: Smart Cities Programme Director, Honeywell

Mostafa Othman, smart cities programme director, Honeywell, examines how AI is heralding a new urban intelligence where cities learn, adapt and optimise themselves in real time.

Dr Chong Chee Chung: Vice President, ITS Architecting, Mobility Road, Urban Solutions, ST Engineering

How cities can get ahead with AI-enabled traffic management

Opinions25 Sep 2025by Dr Chong Chee Chung: Vice President, ITS Architecting, Mobility Road, Urban Solutions, ST Engineering

Dr Chong Chee Chung, Vice President, ITS Architecting, Mobility Road, Urban Solutions at ST Engineering, explains how a combination of deep learning, computer vision and artificial neural networks are transforming urban traffic management.

Intelligent data centre networking for a smarter future

Opinions30 Jul 2025

Discover how Huawei is pushing the boundaries of innovation in data centre switching, and earning worldwide recognition for its work across software and hardware.

John Kimmance: Chief Customer Officer, Ordnance Survey

Why geospatial data is key to building a smarter future

AI and Machine Learning24 Feb 2025by John Kimmance: Chief Customer Officer, Ordnance Survey

Geospatial data is the glue that makes other data interoperable in public and private sector projects, says John Kimmance, chief customer officer at Ordnance Survey.

Francesco Amato: Business Development Manager, Latitudo 40

Cities Climate Action Summit 2024 – meet the exhibitor: Latitudo 40

Climate action25 Jun 2024by Francesco Amato: Business Development Manager, Latitudo 40

Latitudo 40 sits at the convergence of satellite imagery analysis and AI and will demonstrate the vital role satellite data has to play in helping cities tackle the challenges of climate change.

Martin Walker: Product Marketing Manager, SSE Energy Solutions

Cities Climate Action Summit 2024 – meet the exhibitor: SSE Energy Solutions

Climate action24 Jun 2024by Martin Walker: Product Marketing Manager, SSE Energy Solutions

SSE Energy Solutions will show how by leveraging the power of smart city data, cities have a key role to play in lowering carbon emissions and energy consumption and costs.

Guillermo Campoamor: Founder and CEO, Meep

How cities can take back control of their mobility data

Mobility-as-a-Service09 Oct 2023by Guillermo Campoamor: Founder and CEO, Meep

Guillermo Campoamor, founder and CEO of Meep, highlights the need for cities and local authorities to maintain control of their mobility data and outlines steps to take back control to create mobility solutions that better serve the public and the city.

Hong-Eng Koh: Global Chief Public Services Industry Scientist, Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group

Defining the path for public service digitalisation

Data management & software05 Jul 2023by Hong-Eng Koh: Global Chief Public Services Industry Scientist, Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group

Hong-Eng Koh, Global Chief Public Services Industry Scientist for Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group, details how to lay the critical foundations for smarter, more efficient public services.

Rollo Home: Head of Product, Ordnance Survey

Smart cities and electric vehicles: the road to a sustainable and efficient future

Electric vehicles03 Jul 2023by Rollo Home: Head of Product, Ordnance Survey

Electric vehicles have a key role to play in smart cities, explains Rollo Home, head of product at Ordnance Survey, but only with the right underpinning data and technology.

Yeo Khiaw Ming: Head Of Product Management, Smart Mobility Road, St Engineering

How smarter junctions contribute to safe and efficient travel

Road travel07 Dec 2022by Yeo Khiaw Ming: Head Of Product Management, Smart Mobility Road, St Engineering

ST Engineering’s Yeo Khiaw Ming explains why cities must explore the use of advanced technologies that enable more intelligent traffic signal control.

Chew Men Leong: President, Urban Solutions, St Engineering

How technology drives smarter traffic management to deliver liveable and sustainable cities

Road travel01 Jun 2022by Chew Men Leong: President, Urban Solutions, St Engineering

Intelligent traffic management solutions aren’t only critical tools for transport authorities and departments – they can hold the key to safer, more sustainable cities, too, explains ST Engineering’s Chew Men Leong.

The technology helping hospitals shape the future of digital healthcare

Opinions17 Dec 2021by Libby Plummer

Libby Plummer explains how new technology is creating a new digital future for hospitals that will deliver better care and more efficient operations.

Gianni Minetti: CEO, Paradox Engineering

Cybersecurity: a lifelong journey for smart cities

Opinions14 Dec 2021by Gianni Minetti: CEO, Paradox Engineering

Gianni Minetti, CEO of Paradox Engineering, explains why cities must ensure security is built into their solutions from their very inception not added at a later stage of development.

Michael Baker: Business Development, Innovation Products at Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure

City Leaders: get started on a data-sharing programme

Opinions04 Nov 2021by Michael Baker: Business Development, Innovation Products at Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure

Hexagon’s Michael Baker explains how city leaders can become the champions and architects of change for their communities by setting goals and equipping agencies and organisations with the right collaborative tools.

Sandy Gwee: Principal Consultant, energy & smart cities, Nomura Research Institute, Singapore

Beyond smart cities: why smart and sustainable cities are the way forward

Opinions27 Aug 2021by Sandy Gwee: Principal Consultant, energy & smart cities, Nomura Research Institute, Singapore

Sandy Gwee, principal consultant at Singapore’s Nomura Research Institute, says to succeed, sustainable smart cities must encompass multiple facets of sectors, stakeholders and communities that need to be engaged and mobilised to build on common goals.

Brent Biddulph: Managing Director, Retail & Consumer Goods Industry, Cloudera

Digital twins: making the future more predictable

Opinions12 Aug 2021by Brent Biddulph: Managing Director, Retail & Consumer Goods Industry, Cloudera

This powerful technology can make cities more resilient and efficient but only if enabled by advanced data management systems, explains Cloudera’s Brent Biddulph.

Dr Georges Aoude: CEO and co-founder, Derq

Smart infrastructure is the key to Vision Zero

Opinions05 Aug 2021by Dr Georges Aoude: CEO and co-founder, Derq

Legislation is a good first step to reducing fatalities, says Georges Aoude, CEO, Derq, but it will not work without new technology to enable improved road safety.

What is ‘Smart City’ and why do we need them?

Smart city is the framework based on Information and Communication technologies that enable the development of sustainable practices to address the urbanisation challenges. Leveraging the technology is one of the foremost pillars of ‘smart cities’ in order to increase efficiencies and improve the quality of resident’s life and the city’s services.

SmartCitiesWorld Newsletters (Daily/Weekly)

Our editorial newsletter pulls together our latest news items into one email, direct to your inbox. We also feature our latest city interviews, Special Reports and Guest Opinions.