Trend Report Panel Discussion (21 May): 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.

A clean and efficient future: energy in focus at Cities Climate Action Summit 2024

Discover how this year’s Cities Climate Action Summit puts the spotlight on the switch to clean and renewable energy, and the importance of energy-efficiency.

Smart Cities Reports

Podcasts

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

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.

Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 30 – Norfolk: building coastal resilience before the storm

Blending green and grey infrastructure with innovative solutions like 3D printed reefs, discover how the City of Norfolk is tackling its coastal challenges head on.

Opinions

Rebuilding green: Analysing the Biden infrastructure plan

John Fitzgerald, Project Director, Linesight, explains why major reskilling, outreach work by government and the right messaging will be key to realising benefits.

The future of smart city technologySponsored by Huawei

Imagination and vision is required to enable successful digital transformation in our cities, writes Huawei’s Nadim Abdulrahim.

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: Planning and operating thriving cities – innovation for smarter urban living

Trend Series

Download our latest report to uncover how artificial intelligence is being used to support cities in how they plan and operate city services to ensure they are vibrant, sustainable and economically thriving modern spaces.

Latest Webinar

Trend Report Panel Discussion (21 May): Operating smarter: using digital twins and AI to reshape urban infrastructure management

Webinars

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

Latest Podcast

Cities Thriving on Lighting, Episode 2 – Simplicity by design in smart lighting

Podcasts

Discover the technology and considerations behind how cities can turn existing streetlight networks into secure, interoperable, and future‑proof infrastructure in the second episode of Cities Thriving on Lighting.

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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Tallinn opens second circular economy centre

How cities can unlock private investment for urban climate action

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New Zealand utility deploys AI resilience planning tool

Toronto announces streetlight modernisation programme

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.

Cecília Correia, Senior Water Solutions Manager, Bentley Systems

Why water must lead the smart city conversation

Opinions10 Feb 2026by Cecília Correia, Senior Water Solutions Manager, Bentley Systems

Cecilia Correia, Senior Water Solutions Manager at Bentley Systems explains how strategy, policy and technology must combine to create water smart cities that are fit for today and tomorrow.

Andrea Sorri and Johnny Lee: Axis Communications

Connected video and sensors for greener urban living

Opinions30 Oct 2025by Andrea Sorri and Johnny Lee: Axis Communications

Intelligent video sensors and AI are altering how cities manage sustainability. Andrea Sorri and Johnny Lee at Axis Communications explain how real-time data and digital twins are helping urban areas become greener and more resilient.

Engineering healthier cities through smart technology

Opinions02 Jul 2025by Dennis Dokter: Smart Cities Lead, Nexus

Dennis Dokter, Smart Cities Lead at Nexus, explores how technologies like digital twins can translate into tangible improvements in residents’ daily lives, reshaping the fabric of urban life for better health and wellbeing.

Mark Whyte: Partner for security and resilience consulting, EMEA, Control Risks

Assessing and mitigating risk in smart city developments

Resilience25 Feb 2025by Mark Whyte: Partner for security and resilience consulting, EMEA, Control Risks

Mark Whyte, partner for security and resilience consulting for EMEA at Control Risks, explains how to reduce risk in smart city developments as urban populations sprawl, and city projects and developments grow larger.

Manish Jethwa: Chief Technology Officer, Ordnance Survey

Ethical AI, geospatial data and the future of digital transformation

AI and Machine Learning12 Feb 2025by Manish Jethwa: Chief Technology Officer, Ordnance Survey

Manish Jethwa, chief technology officer at Ordnance Survey (OS), looks at how AI will impact the world of geospatial data and why it has developed the responsible AI charter.

Donna Lyndsay: Strategic Market Lead for Sustainability at Ordnance Survey

Harnessing location intelligence for global resilience and sustainable investments

Resilience29 Jan 2025by Donna Lyndsay: Strategic Market Lead for Sustainability at Ordnance Survey

Donna Lyndsay, strategic market lead for sustainability at Ordnance Survey (OS), looks at the role location intelligence and mapping will play in building global resilience and climate action.

Ann Moore: Industry Principal, Power & Utilities, AVEVA

Power play: The race to decarbonisation

Smart grids15 May 2024by Ann Moore: Industry Principal, Power & Utilities, AVEVA

With today’s power plants needing to dynamically balance complex energy inputs with fluctuating demands, operators must strengthen their ecosystems to rise to the challenge, says Ann Moore, industry principal, Power & Utilities, AVEVA

Satya Rhodes-Conway: Mayor of Madison and Chair Emerita of Climate Mayors

The EV boom is here, and mayors are taking the wheel

Climate action10 Apr 2024by Satya Rhodes-Conway: Mayor of Madison and Chair Emerita of Climate Mayors

Mayor of Madison and and Chair Emerita of Climate Mayors, Satya Rhodes-Conway, says the time is now to leverage unprecedented federal funding to ensure a clean transportation future.

Manminder Takhar: Global CTO, Global Digital Cities, Dell Technologies

The three key pillars of digital urban transformation

Resilience31 Oct 2023by Manminder Takhar: Global CTO, Global Digital Cities, Dell Technologies

Manminder Takhar, Global CTO, Global Digital Cities, Dell Technologies, explores how cities are embracing digital transformation to tackle urban challenges, ensure accessibility and equity, and enhance operational efficiency, while keeping sustainability front of mind.

Dr Uwe Jasnoch: Director, EMEA Government, Transportation & Defence, Hexagon's Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial

How digital twins are transforming city sustainability initiatives

Digital twins17 Oct 2023by Dr Uwe Jasnoch: Director, EMEA Government, Transportation & Defence, Hexagon's Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial

Hexagon’s Dr Uwe Jasnoch highlights cities around the world that are making digital twins a key strand of their climate action and sustainability strategies.

Paul Kostek: Senior Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

The future of city infrastructure

Resilience03 May 2023by Paul Kostek: Senior Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

The IEEE’s Paul Kostek says the rise of natural disasters and extreme weather calls for a far more resilient infrastructure and one that can provide early warning signs.

Why satellite data is key to smarter, sustainable cities

Climate action14 Nov 2022by Gaetano Volpe: Ceo, Latitudo 40

Satellite imagery can act as “a time machine” for cities battling climate change, says Gaetano Volpe of Latitudo 40, helping us understand the past and future.

Nigel Riglar: Executive Director – Place, South Gloucestershire Council

Why levelling up will fail without embedding climate action

Policymaking18 Aug 2022by Nigel Riglar: Executive Director – Place, South Gloucestershire Council

With climate and nature recovery not built into the UK government’s levelling up bill, Nigel Riglar, past president of ADEPT and executive director – place at South Gloucestershire Council, explains why this risks inequalities being exacerbated.

Anni Sinnemäki: Deputy Mayor For The Urban Environment, Helsinki

Helsinki’s journey to becoming a 15-minute city

Policymaking06 Jul 2022by Anni Sinnemäki: Deputy Mayor For The Urban Environment, Helsinki

Anni Sinnemäki, Helsinki’s deputy mayor for the urban environment, provides expert insight into the Finnish city’s journey towards a more sustainable and seamless transport system.

Invest in training to stop the pain of energy pain price rises

People and skills01 Jun 2022by Cara Jenkinson: Cities Manager, Ashden

The UK faces a retrofit challenge to meet its net zero ambitions and create sustainable cites but, as Ashden’s Cara Jenkinson explains, it must first tackle the major skills shortage that is hampering efforts.

Achieving climate change with cities

Resilience22 Apr 2022by Michael Lake

We have seen great gains in terms of building resilience and tackling critical challenges by investing in smart city solutions but, as Michael Lake of Leading Cities highlights, we need to build the ecosystem to achieve so much more.

The scalable impact of resilient city solutions

Opinions01 Dec 2021by Michael Lake

Michael Lake and Zoe Selman of Leading Cities say the key to resiliency is innovative thinking and technology and urge cities to engage and empower the changemakers, such as start-ups.

Two critical success factors for sustainable cities

Opinions05 Nov 2021by Michael Lake

Leading Cities’ CEO, Michael Lake, and Andrew McCue, an economy consultant at Metabolic, urge leadership in two key areas that provide hope in cities’ battle against climate change and their shift towards sustainability.

Noah Baars: Cities Analyst, Circle Economy

The importance of building with – not over – nature

Opinions19 Jul 2021by Noah Baars: Cities Analyst, Circle Economy

Noah Baars, cities analyst, and Laxmi Haigh, lead of editorial, Circle Economy, highlight why cities need to think about environmental and societal challenges in an integrated way.

ST Engineering to provide smart city platform for Lusail City

The company will build and operate a smart city platform with citywide network connectivity for the Qatar city using advanced AI and data-driven technologies.

Huawei seals smart city deal with Barcelona

They will collaborate on projects relating to 5G, smart city applications and digital transformation.

Solar city goes live

Trina Solar’s PV modules have begun operations in the 10MW Sustainable City in Dubai, which aims to use only clean energy sources

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.

Public technology Portal sculpture unites Dublin and New York

Each sculpture features a 24/7 visual livestream from a Portal in the other city, allowing real-time interaction between Dubliners and New Yorkers and visitors.

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.