Panel Discussion (20 Jan): Digital twins and AI as the intelligent operating layer for cities

Join us for insights from real-world case studies on the use of digital twins and AI as the present and future of urban management.

OnDemand Webinar: Getting your data strategy right for smarter sites and safer operations

Discover the crucial role industrial sites are playing in shaping safety, resilience, and service continuity for continued city connectivity.

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.

Cities Climate Action Summit 2024: unlocking climate finance

The 2024 Cities Climate Action Summit will focus on innovative funding mechanisms and strategies to mobilise private finance for urban climate initiatives as one of its central themes.

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.

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.

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Smart Cities News

Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 11 – Gareth Morgan, Cape Town – Mainstreaming and institutionalising urban resilience

Urban Exchange Podcast08 Jun 2023

Gareth Morgan, executive director of future planning and resilience for the City of Cape Town, joins the Urban Exchange to talk about his efforts to put resilience front and centre of all aspects of the city’s work.

SmartCitiesWorld’s top news stories of 2025

News31 Dec 2025

Which cities, trends and technologies made the smart cities headlines over the past 12 months? SmartCitiesWorld brings you its 10 top stories of 2025.

German public transport operator to deploy 61 battery trains

Rail Travel19 Dec 2025

Zweckverband Nahverkehr Westfalen-Lippe will deploy the second largest fleet of battery trains in Germany via a leasing model, starting in December 2029.

Panel Discussion (20 Jan): Digital twins and AI as the intelligent operating layer for cities

Webinars18 Dec 2025

Join us for insights from real-world case studies on the use of digital twins and AI as the present and future of urban management.

How Ukraine developed its AI assistant – and claimed a world record

Special Reports18 Dec 2025

The Diia.AI app represents a new way for governments to interact with communities and aims to bring fast, intuitive public services even closer to people.

Tucson partners with Itron to conserve water

Water17 Dec 2025

Deployment marks a new era of innovation for the city as it lays the technological foundation to advance water conservation goals and improve operations.

Austin announces Electric System Resiliency Plan

Resilience17 Dec 2025

The strategy aims to ensure the grid is reliable and resilient against disruptions and can recover quickly from outages as well as adapt to future challenges.

Canberra expands neighbourhood battery network

Batteries and renewables16 Dec 2025

The batteries will help futureproof the ACT’s electricity network and are an important step in the ACT’s efforts to reach net-zero emissions by 2045.

Californian solar schools project to save over $6m

Solar power15 Dec 2025

Orange Unified School District in Orange County has worked with Ameresco to reduce energy costs and efficiency with solar PV solutions across seven schools.

Bloomberg aims to supercharge the impact of UK metro mayors

People and skills11 Dec 2025

It will work with metro mayors and senior teams to strengthen strategic leadership, build high-performing teams and sharpen data-informed decision-making.

Phoenix City Council approves Energy Access Plan

Climate action10 Dec 2025

The plan outlines strategies to reduce high energy burden across the city and improve energy affordability for households affected by extreme heat and utility costs.

Ottawa approves climate action, water and waste investment

Climate action09 Dec 2025

Investments are complemented by $94m in capital contributions that apply a climate lens to projects across the city, including $32m to strengthen resiliency.

Renewable heat project funding boost for England

Climate action05 Dec 2025

Projects will enable public and private sector bodies to harness waste heat from sources such as rivers, data centres and sewage works to strengthen resilience.

Why the tech sector must put nature at heart of operations

Climate action04 Dec 2025

The tech sector could unlock $800bn in value by 2030 if tech companies reduce their negative impacts on natural systems and dependencies on natural resources.

Latest cities announced for EU peer learning programme

Climate action04 Dec 2025

The ‘Twin cities’ will work together on local climate action as part of the Twinning Learning Programme, a peer-learning initiative of the EU Cities Mission.

National Grid utilises AI to combat rising wildfire risk

AI and Machine Learning03 Dec 2025

National Grid will deploy advanced AI technology that identifies and prevents wildfire risks across its electric transmission and distribution networks.

UK launches marketplace for biodiversity net gain units

Climate action03 Dec 2025

Greenshank Environmental’s platform enables developers to browse credits, view pricing and unit types, and purchase verified BNG and nutrient credits online.

Nairobi launches air quality action plan and portal

Air quality01 Dec 2025

For the first time, city leaders and residents in the Kenyan city will have access to hyper-local data about pollution levels in the places they live and work.

Webinar (27 Nov): How sensors, AI, and digital twins can shape the future of urban transport

On-Demand Webinars28 Nov 2025

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

Cities urge stronger multilevel climate governance after COP30 outcomes

Cop Conference26 Nov 2025

Local and regional governments are calling for deeper national collaboration and clearer funding pathways following on from the COP30 negotiations in Belém.

New £25m Water Efficiency Lab launches to cut consumption across England and Wales

Water26 Nov 2025

Water Efficiency Lab is opening a £5 million first-year funding round to support innovations that give clearer water-use insights and help drive down demand.

Which European cities are top for smart tourism?

News25 Nov 2025

Winners’ achievements demonstrate the EC’s vision for a smarter, greener and more inclusive tourism sector, setting a benchmark for other destinations.

Chicago nears tree-planting target with 90 per cent achieved

Parks and green space24 Nov 2025

Our Roots Chicago is a community-driven initiative to expand tree planting in the city, with a focus on underserved neighbourhoods with low tree canopy cover.

City of Chandler strengthens energy security with solar

Solar power21 Nov 2025

The Arizona city is working with Ameresco to generate 14.5 million kWh annually, reduce utility costs, as well as enhance long-term energy independence.

Cop30: local climate action is an “indispensable force”

Climate action21 Nov 2025

A new assessment from GCoM and C40 Cities reveals strong and accelerating growth in local climate implementation across Champ-endorsing countries.

Cardiff heat network delivers first low-carbon heat to customer

Climate action20 Nov 2025

First city-scale heat network in Wales is delivering heat to Cardiff and Vale College with other major buildings in Cardiff Bay to follow, including the Senedd.

Detroit breaks ground on solar neighbourhoods

Solar power19 Nov 2025

Ten neighbourhoods vied for the opportunity to transform blighted vacant land into landscaped solar arrays with the first to be activated in mid-2026.

Cop30: ICLEI and KfW extend urban resilience finance programme

Climate action19 Nov 2025

The ProUrbano programme helps cities across Latin America and the Caribbean better understand and transfer climate risks and finance adaptation measures.

Webinar: Getting your data strategy right for smarter sites and safer operations

On-Demand Webinars19 Nov 2025

Discover the crucial role industrial sites are playing in shaping safety, resilience, and service continuity for continued city connectivity.

QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge winner named

Resilience18 Nov 2025

Leading Cities’ resilience and smart city accelerator attracted entries from more than 820 startups in 71 countries and involved a six-month vetting process.

Cop30: ICLEI partners to scale up municipal climate investments

Climate action18 Nov 2025

Memorandum with Banco do Nordeste broadens technical assistance, maps environmental project opportunities, and advances low-carbon urban development strategies.

Cop30: mayors raise the ambition to phase out fossil fuels

Climate action17 Nov 2025

The C40 Cities network is urging national governments to increase collaboration with local and regional governments to end dependence on fossil fuels

Cop30: Brazil launches first climate adaptation plan for health

Health and social care14 Nov 2025

It aims to enhance the health sector’s resilience to climate change via surveillance systems, capacity building, innovation, and evidence-based policymaking.

Cop30: cities take centre stage

Climate action13 Nov 2025

Cop30 President André Corrêa do Lago highlighted the importance of adaptation and multilevel governance, while a report was launched on the inclusion of cities in new NDCs.

Leading Cities launches five free data-driven pilots

Resilience12 Nov 2025

Municipalities and private entities worldwide are invited to apply for the pilots which are focused on helping communities prepare before crisis strikes.

Glasgow climate plan review reveals community benefits

Climate action12 Nov 2025

Actions across 11 areas include key priorities such as transport, green economy, heating, built environment, energy, waste, biodiversity and carbon removal.

COP30 Webinar: Powering the future: energy innovation for people and planet

On-Demand Webinars12 Nov 2025

This session will examine how cities are creating energy systems that are both innovative and people-centred. It will highlight how digital tools, IoT-enabled efficiency platforms, and AI optimisation are driving progress, alongside community-focused initiatives that ensure inclusivity in the transition. Speakers from City of Toronto and CReDO.

Cop30: initiative launched to help cities beat extreme heat

Climate action12 Nov 2025

The Global Mutirão Against Extreme Heat/Beat the Heat seeks to accelerate implementation of sustainable cooling and heat-resilience solutions in cities.

Boston awards climate-ready housing grants

Climate action11 Nov 2025

Seven Boston affordable housing developments will receive funding to advance retrofits and electrification as part of Climate Ready Housing grant programme.

Cardiff installs rooftop solar on city-owned leisure centres

Climate action11 Nov 2025

The £1.65m Cardiff Council project, covering eight centres, is expected to reduce electricity-related carbon emissions at the sites by around 35 per cent.

Cop30 Local Leaders Forum delivers outcome statement

Climate action10 Nov 2025

The statement is the final outcome from the Local Leaders Forum in Rio and calls on national governments to strengthen partnerships with cities and regions.

World’s cities seek record $105bn for climate projects

Climate action07 Nov 2025

The 2025 Global Snapshot contains fresh analysis of the 2,164 projects disclosed through CDP-ICLEI Track, by 507 cities in 62 countries, so far in 2025.

Bogotá is named Earthshot Prize winner

Air quality07 Nov 2025

Colombian capital, recognised for its clean air programme, is one of five winners of the prestigious prize that celebrates innovators solving global challenges.

Rome crowned Smart City of 2025 at Barcelona Expo

News06 Nov 2025

Judges at the World Smart City Awards gala said Rome’s visionary strategy is leveraging data, 5G and digital twins to enhance urban governance, improve public services and build resilience.

State of UK council climate action revealed in new report

Climate action05 Nov 2025

Report looks at overall trends of UK councils’ climate action giving comprehensive oversight of where progress has been made and where action is still lacking.

Cop30 repository to map urban milestones and decisions

Climate action04 Nov 2025

One-stop-shop information portal is intended to provide transparency, empower and enable action by stakeholders to implement mitigation and adaptation measures.

C40 World Mayors Summit 2025 opens in Rio de Janeiro

Climate action03 Nov 2025

More than 300 city leaders will attend the summit with the goal of moving from the era of climate negotiation to the decade of delivery, with cities taking the lead.

Boston launches city energy saver programme

Climate action31 Oct 2025

Boston Energy Saver programme is a resource to connect Boston residents with discounts and building upgrades that work best for their home or small business.

Urban Transformation Summit spurs action to reimagine cities

News31 Oct 2025

Announcements at the WEF Summit included news of the first cohort for a global coalition dedicated to advancing high-quality, people-centred urban development.

Trend Report Panel Discussion: AI for resilient infrastructure – sustainable operations for future-ready cities

On-Demand Webinars31 Oct 2025

Join us for an eye-opening session exploring how AI is reshaping urban infrastructure to meet the rising pressures of climate change, ageing systems, and rapid urban growth.

Connected video and sensors for greener urban livingSponsored by Axis Communications

Opinions30 Oct 2025

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.

Dutch utility builds one of Europe’s largest smart water networks

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