Webinars

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

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

OnDemand Webinar: Cities Climate Action Weeks: A global movement with local impact

Inspired by London, find out how Baku, Rio de Janeiro, Bangkok and Prague are creating their own Climate Action Weeks to drive ambitious local change - and are helping to build a powerful global movement.

Special Reports

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 – 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.

SmartCitiesWorld City Profile – Dublin

Find out how Dublin is innovating to improve experiences and services for its communities in the latest SmartCitiesWorld City Profile, including digital twin projects, traffic reduction, and economic growth.

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.

Podcast: Building resilient cities: trustworthy AI, digital twins, and urban innovation at YII 2025Sponsored by Bentley Systems

SmartCitiesWorld speaks with Bentley Systems leaders about unleashing AI and digital twins to drive innovation, resilience, and people-first progress in the world’s cities.

Opinions

Building smarter cities: scaling sustainability and efficiency with smart city platformsSponsored by ST Engineering

ST Engineering’s Richard Ng explains how integrated smart city platforms can support cities in becoming more sustainable and efficient at the scale that is right for them.

Lessons from Italy: Why smart city projects can bridge the urban development gap

Digital Leaders CEO Giuliano Liguori highlights Italy as an example and warning that pushing ahead with smart city plans should ensure access for the worst off, on an individual and municipal level, as top priority.

Home | Opinions

22 - 26 June 2026: Find out more

Latest City Profile

SmartCitiesWorld City Profile – Sunderland

Smart Cities Reports

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

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Liz St Louis

Smart City Director

Sunderland City Council

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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

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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Boston hosts its first-ever Tech Week

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Lisbon partners to develop innovative mobility solutions

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Major London destination deploys personal navigation app

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.

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.

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.

Richard Ng, Senior Vice President, Smart Sustainable Utilities & Smart Connectivity, Urban Solutions at ST Engineering

Building smarter cities: scaling sustainability and efficiency with smart city platforms

Opinions28 Aug 2025by Richard Ng, Senior Vice President, Smart Sustainable Utilities & Smart Connectivity, Urban Solutions at ST Engineering

ST Engineering’s Richard Ng explains how integrated smart city platforms can support cities in becoming more sustainable and efficient at the scale that is right for them.

Mahesh Ramanujam: Co-founder, President & CEO, Global Network for Zero

From buildings to cities: the key to scaling missions reductions

Climate action24 Jul 2025by Mahesh Ramanujam: Co-founder, President & CEO, Global Network for Zero

Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of the Global Network for Zero, explains how city governments should focus decarbonisation efforts on existing building retrofits and reducing embodied carbon in the construction sector.

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.

Gareth Tang, President of Urban Solutions, ST Engineering

Putting efficiency first in decarbonising the built environment

Commercial buildings21 Aug 2024by Gareth Tang, President of Urban Solutions, ST Engineering

Gareth Tang, Head of Smart Utilities and Infrastructure, at ST Engineering’s Urban Solutions business, breaks down the technology that enables buildings to go green in the push for environmental sustainability in cities.

Accelerating success: Sunderland’s smart view from the world stage

4G and 5G18 Jan 2024by Liz St Louis

Patrick Melia and Liz St Louis at Sunderland City Council and Charles O’Reilly at Boldyn Networks share insights and experiences around smart city strategies.

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.

David Shi, President, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei Middle East

Smart cities at the heart of a digital Middle East

Internet of Things27 Sep 2022by David Shi, President, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei Middle East

David Shi, President, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei Middle East explains how the shift to a more digital economy across the Middle East has taken root in smart city innovation.

Why UK leaders must double-down on active travel promises

Micromobility31 Aug 2022by Xavier Brice: Ceo, Sustrans

Xavier Brice, CEO of walking, wheeling and cycling charity, Sustrans, says the drive to net zero, cost-of-living crisis and future of the NHS all depend on the UK Government’s promises to promote more active and healthier ways to travel.

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.

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.

Empowering campuses with technology and intelligence

Opinions25 Nov 2021by Global Government Business Unit, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei

Campuses are essential to life in every city and it’s critical they are as intelligent and efficient as possible. Zhang Delei and Li Jianbo, global government business unit, Enterprise Business Group at Huawei, explain why this relies on applying the latest digital technologies.

Antonio Natale: GIS expert and project manager, WiseTown

GIS in smart cities: more than just pinning data on maps

Opinions18 Oct 2021by Antonio Natale: GIS expert and project manager, WiseTown

Antonio Natale, GIS expert and project manager at WiseTown, explains why geospatial information technology is ripe for adoption in smart cities

Giuliano Liguori: Founder and CEO, Digital Leaders

Lessons from Italy: Why smart city projects can bridge the urban development gap

Opinions03 Sep 2021by Giuliano Liguori: Founder and CEO, Digital Leaders

Vivek Gilani: Director of cBalance and a partner in Ashden’s Fair Cooling

As construction booms, India must tackle its AC addiction

Opinions05 Jul 2021by Vivek Gilani: Director of cBalance and a partner in Ashden’s Fair Cooling

Vivek Gilani, director of cBalance and a partner in Ashden’s Fair Cooling programme, gives insights into how India must keep cool sustainably.

John Fitzgerald, Project Director, Linesight

Rebuilding green: Analysing the Biden infrastructure plan

Opinions29 Apr 2021by John Fitzgerald, Project Director, Linesight

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

The path to a greener future begins in our cities

Opinions29 Mar 2021by Jeff Merritt

Transforming the way we design, construct and operate buildings cannot be left to any one industry, writes Schneider Electric’s Philippe Delorme and the World Economic Forum’s Jeff Merritt.

Alistair Fulton: Vice President and General Manager, Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group

We built this city (on LPWAN)

Opinions19 Mar 2021by Alistair Fulton: Vice President and General Manager, Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group

The interoperability offered with LPWAN networks enables the benefits of a truly smart city environment to be shared by all, writes Alistair Fulton, of Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group.

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.