OnDemand Trend Report Webinar: How AI and data are transforming transport operations and services

Explore how data and AI are being used in urban transport networks to support planning, day-to-day operations, and improve outcomes for communities and passengers.

OnDemand Webinar: How sensors, AI, and digital twins can shape the future of urban transport

Delve into the how the convergence of visual sensors, digital twins and artificial intelligence are revolutionising urban mobility.

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.

Green, active and integrated: mobility in focus at Cities Climate Action Summit

From accelerating electric vehicle infrastructure to promoting active and shared modes of transport, the Cities Climate Action Summit (26-27 June) strives to unlock sustainable mobility solutions for a cleaner, healthier future.

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 – Chicago

Chicago is looking to smart city technology to solve issues including poverty, inequality and racial segregation.

Podcasts

Podcast: in conversation with Xavier Brice, CEO, Sustrans

The latest episode of the SmartCitiesWorld Podcast sees editor Luke Antoniou joined by Sustrans CEO Xavier Brice for a conversation on all things sustainable urban mobility.

Podcast: How distributed acoustic sensing can give greater insight into your smart city, with Fotech

In the latest SmartCitiesWorld podcast, Sarah Wray talks to Chris Shannon, CEO of Fotech Group and Stuart Large, Product Line Director & Business Development.

Opinions

How AI will define cities and mobility in 2026Sponsored by ST Engineering

Gareth Tang, President of Urban Solutions at ST Engineering, explains how urban AI applications are set to evolve, detailing projects where AI is already making significant impact.

No more pedalling the cycle lane myth: for a less congested London, we need fewer cars

Lime’s Alan Clarke explains how the UK capital can move away from private vehicles towards a lifestyle where city-dwellers can move seamlessly between different modes of public transport.

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

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Jaromir Beranek

Deputy Mayor for Transport

City of Prague

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Liz St Louis

Smart City Director

Sunderland City Council

Find out more

Cllr Susan Aitken

Leader

Glasgow City Council

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Mark Wheeler

CIO

Montgomery County

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John Moran

Mayor

Limerick City and County Council

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Matjaž Rakovec

Mayor

City of Kranj

Find out more

Erin Mendenhall

Mayor

Salt Lake City

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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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IDC reveals Asia-Pacific 2020 smart city award winners

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Index reveals global congestion is on the rise

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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.

Gareth Tang, President of Urban Solutions, ST Engineering

How AI will define cities and mobility in 2026

AI and Machine Learning19 Feb 2026by Gareth Tang, President of Urban Solutions, ST Engineering

Gareth Tang, President of Urban Solutions at ST Engineering, explains how urban AI applications are set to evolve, detailing projects where AI is already making significant impact.

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.

Ralf-Peter Schäfer: VP Product Management Traffic and Travel Information at TomTom

Data-driven mobility in cities: the role of maps and traffic data

Opinions27 Oct 2025by Ralf-Peter Schäfer: VP Product Management Traffic and Travel Information at TomTom

Ralf-Peter Schäfer, VP Product Management Traffic and Travel Information at TomTom, explains how mapping data, combined with real-time and community traffic data, is driving a revolution in urban mobility.

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.

Navigating the future: the evolution of urban transportation

Connected and autonomous vehicles20 Mar 2024by Liz St Louis

Liz St Louis, director of smart cities and enabling services at Sunderland City Council, explores how advancements in transportation are set to revolutionise urban mobility and enhance the quality of life in cities the world over.

James Lancaster: Head of European Mobility and Chair of Urban Mobility Partnership

Why housing plans must factor in multimodal transit systems

Policymaking25 Oct 2023by James Lancaster: Head of European Mobility and Chair of Urban Mobility Partnership

James Lancaster of the Urban Mobility Partnership reflects on the UK political party conference season and considers the implications for future mobility.

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.

Why we need citywide shared transport frameworks

Air quality13 Sep 2023by Manish Kharel: General Manager, Lime

Ulez expansion is a significant step, but a standardised framework for e-bike parking and riding is also required to maximise its success, says Manish Kharel, general manager of Lime in London.

Claudio Parrinello: Ceo & Founder Of Planetwatch

Air pollution is a social justice issue

Air quality10 Aug 2022by Claudio Parrinello: Ceo & Founder Of Planetwatch

PlanetWatch’s Claudio Parrinello says air quality improvement measures must be targeted and designed so they don’t fall on the pockets of those who can least afford them – and hyperlocal data holds the key.

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.

Five principles for sustainable mobility

Road travel07 Apr 2022by Steve Zoegall

When it comes to discussing urban mobility, Accenture’s Steve Zoegall observes how a systems mindset has taken root that is compelling all of us to appreciate it as the massively complex emergent phenomenon it is.

Alan Clarke: Senior Director Of Policy At Lime Uk

No more pedalling the cycle lane myth: for a less congested London, we need fewer cars

Opinions21 Jan 2022by Alan Clarke: Senior Director Of Policy At Lime Uk

Lime’s Alan Clarke explains how the UK capital can move away from private vehicles towards a lifestyle where city-dwellers can move seamlessly between different modes of public transport.

Mike Ger, managing director, manufacturing and automotive, Cloudera

The road ahead for machine learning

Opinions06 May 2021by Mike Ger, managing director, manufacturing and automotive, Cloudera

Michael Ger, managing director, manufacturing and automotive, Cloudera, explains why the data-intensive processes behind autonomous vehicle development will light the way for future ML use cases.

Watch: Cloudera and IBM Storage discuss how cities can unlock the true value of their data

Opinions30 Mar 2021by Douglas O’Flaherty

SCW talks to Cloudera and IBM Storage on the power of big data and machine learning

Alexander Zschaler, Regional sales director, Cloudera

Podcast: The data tech unlocking new value in smart cities

Opinions23 Mar 2021by Alexander Zschaler, Regional sales director, Cloudera

In the latest SmartCitiesWorld podcast, Graeme Neill speaks to Alexander Zschaler, regional sales director at Cloudera Germany.

Rishi Lodhia, Managing Director EMEA, Eagle Eye Networks

The future of public safety: why smart cities need to look to the cloud

Opinions08 Feb 2021by Rishi Lodhia, Managing Director EMEA, Eagle Eye Networks

Only truly open systems can protect a city’s citizens, argues Eagle Eye Networks Rishi Lodhia

Eitan Grosbard, VP of business development, Tactile Mobility

Covid-19 is ushering a new era in government services

Opinions04 Jan 2021by Eitan Grosbard, VP of business development, Tactile Mobility

Local government will never be the same again in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, writes Tactile Mobility’s Eitan Grosbard.

Nadim Abdulrahim, Global Government Industry Expert, Huawei

The future of smart city technology

Opinions02 Dec 2020by Nadim Abdulrahim, Global Government Industry Expert, Huawei

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

York Yuekun, President of the Global Government Business Dept, Huawei

Jointly building a smart city helps us all enjoy better urban lives

Opinions24 Nov 2020by York Yuekun, President of the Global Government Business Dept, Huawei

Closed ecosystems mean limited choices, limited innovation, limited success, writes York Yuekun.

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.