Panel Discussion: 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 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.

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.

Cities Climate Action Summit 2024: going green in the built environment

The SmartCitiesWorld Summit, which takes place 26-27 June, will act as a call to action for cities to make the transformation of the built environment a central part of their climate action strategies.

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

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 | Special Reports

Special Reports

Here at SmartCitiesWorld, we produce Special Reports on a weekly basis. If you would like to contribute to any special report or opinion pieces please contact our editor Luke Antoniou on lukea@smartcitiesworld.net

Cayala: Guatemala’s private 15-minute city

Cayala: Guatemala’s private 15-minute city

Special Reports21 Aug 2026

Juan Carlos Lopez, CTO and Chief of the Value Management Office at Cayala, explains how agile transformation, digital infrastructure and community-led services are supporting the expansion of one of Central America’s largest private cities.

22 - 26 June 2026: Find out more

Latest City Profile

SmartCitiesWorld City Profile – Singapore

Smart Cities Reports

Find out how the island city-state of Singapore is further building its reputation as one of the smartest nations in the world 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

Webinar (29 Sept): How data and AI support better decisions to bolster city operations

Webinars

SmartCitiesWorld webinar will explore how local authorities can strengthen workforce decision-making by combining unified data, agentic AI and secure digital foundations.

Latest Summit Speakers
(22-26 June)

Sherelle Fairweather

Digital Strategy Lead

Manchester’s Digital Strategy

Find out more

Liz St Louis

Smart City Director

Sunderland City Council

Find out more

Julie Foley OBE

Director of Flood Risk Strategy & Adaptation

Environment Agency

Find out more

Mark Wheeler

CIO

Montgomery County

Find out more

Lord Marvin Rees OBE

Former Mayor

Bristol City Council

Find out more

Cllr Susan Aitken

Leader

Glasgow City Council

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

Podcast: Tracking the journey from smart cities to AI cities (part two)

Podcasts

Re-join our in-depth conversation with Professor Jung Hoon Lee, exploring how AI is moving from pilots to real-world impact in cities worldwide.

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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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.

SmartCitiesWorld Summit 2026: why cities are the architects of the future

SmartCitiesWorld Summit 2026: why cities are the architects of the future

Special Reports07 Jul 2026

From climate finance and resilient infrastructure to AI-enabled public services and systems thinking, the SmartCitiesWorld Summit 2026 demonstrated that the future of cities will be defined by the ability to connect people, data, infrastructure and investment into coherent, place-based strategies.

More with less: designing lean cities to bolster resilience

More with less: designing lean cities to bolster resilience

Special Reports08 May 2026

Woods Bagot’s Heinz von Eckartsberg and Impact Future’s Pablo Sepulveda discuss designing cities for upstream resilience and downstream benefit.

How a small mountain town is creating a model for urban growth

How a small mountain town is creating a model for urban growth

Special Reports27 Mar 2026

Katerina Danekina, CEO of Green Rock, explains the operating model and delivery logic behind the structured growth of the mountain town of Dilijan in Armenia.

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

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

Special Reports06 Mar 2026

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.

Australia's national climate risk assessment – what does it mean for cities?

Australia's national climate risk assessment – what does it mean for cities?

Climate action15 Sep 2025

The Australian government’s long-anticipated climate risk assessment has arrived, but what’s the outlook and what does it mean for city governments and communities?

How Chattanooga became the first National Park City

How Chattanooga became the first National Park City

Parks and green space14 Jul 2025

City of Chattanooga’s Brian Smith explains how the city has changed its reputation from America’s dirtiest city to the first designated as a National Park City.

Curitiba: how digital transformation and revitalisation go hand in hand

Curitiba: how digital transformation and revitalisation go hand in hand

Special Reports07 May 2025

Eduardo Pimentel, mayor of Curitiba, details the initiatives that are reinvigorating public services, business and economy in the city named the world’s smartest in 2023.

Coral Gables: a story of beauty and brains

Coral Gables: a story of beauty and brains

Special Reports20 Mar 2025

CIO Raimundo Rodulfo explains how Coral Gables in Florida has managed to preserve its history and heritage while becoming one of the smartest cities in the world.

Building water-smart cities

Water12 Mar 2025

Cat Moncrieff, policy manager, Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, explains how housing planners can tackle the UK’s growing water crisis.

Cities Climate Action Summit 2024: going green in the built environment

Climate action26 Mar 2024

The SmartCitiesWorld Summit, which takes place 26-27 June, will act as a call to action for cities to make the transformation of the built environment a central part of their climate action strategies.

Unlocking the cross-sector future of green buildings

Unlocking the cross-sector future of green buildings

Commercial buildings14 Sep 2023

Mahesh Ramanujam, CEO of the Global Network for Zero, explains what asset owners in the built environment, across the public and private sectors, can do to step up their green and sustainable buildings progress.

How Vienna became the world’s most liveable city – again

How Vienna became the world’s most liveable city – again

Citizen engagement06 Jul 2023

Thomas Madreiter, director of planning for the city of Vienna, explains how citizen participation and engagement on critical issues has shaped the city’s urban planning strategy to earn it the top ranking in this year’s Economist Intelligence Unit Liveability Index.

Most Popular

Sensor networks are driving the creation of connected city ecosystems

Analysis by Frost & Sullivan reveals how digitisation and advancements in Internet of Things are driving the large-scale adoption of sensor technologies for the development of smart cities.

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.