SMART CITY EXPO

Welcome to our 2026 edition – the global stage where urban innovation comes to life. This opening session sets the tone for an exciting journey ahead, with a warm welcome from Smart City Expo director Ugo Valenti and Tomorrow.Mobility president Marc Rozendal. Joining them are high-level representatives who will share how territories around the world are becoming better places to live and thrive. Get ready for three action-packed days of bold ideas and groundbreaking strategies from around the globe.

As cities adapt to growing pressures such as climate change and population growth, urban leaders must rethink infrastructure, buildings, and energy systems to build safer, more sustainable, and future-ready urban environments. Built on today’s breakthroughs and tomorrow’s innovations, what lies ahead is both ambitious and fast approaching. Yet making this vision a reality will require the right funding models and strategic partnerships. This plenary explores what resilient urban infrastructure could look like by 2050, and how AI, energy systems, adaptive design principles, and new models of collaboration may reshape the future of urban life.

Building resilient cities requires new approaches that connect infrastructure investment, energy systems, and long-term urban development strategies. This session will explore how cities and industry leaders can collaborate to accelerate the delivery of future-ready infrastructure while balancing economic growth, sustainability, and operational efficiency. From investment models and energy transition pathways to public–private partnerships that enable scalable solutions. Strengthening coordination across sectors will be essential to creating resilient, investable, and economically sustainable urban ecosystems.

From algorithms that suggest to systems that decide and execute. What autonomous AI agents are already doing in the real world, and what it means for cities.

Cities don't have a talent shortage so much as a time shortage — expertise trapped in legacy systems and retiring minds. This keynote shows how agentic AI captures institutional knowledge, absorbs routine casework, and puts the right insight at the moment of decision, so every employee works faster, smarter, and closer to the mission.

AI is moving beyond generating insights or supporting decisions, executing tasks, and interacting with complex environments with increasing autonomy. This session inquiries into what that shift means in practice, examining examples of how agentic AI systems are already being deployed across real-world settings and what their growing capabilities could mean for cities, institutions, and urban services. From autonomous systems, algorithms, LLMs, VLMs, to emerging forms of machine reasoning, the conversation will consider both the opportunities and the implications of AI that does not only assist but increasingly acts.

Where do cities actually stand on 5G, Wi-Fi 6 and smart networks? An honest assessment of current deployment and the connectivity gaps that still need solving.

Reliable, high-capacity connectivity is now a critical foundation for smarter urban services, real-time data use, and more connected public infrastructure. This roundtable discusses where cities stand in the deployment of IoT, specifically 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and smart networks, while considering the coverage, integration, and performance challenges that still need to be addressed to create digital infrastructure that is resilient, dependable, and prepared for future demands.

Artificial intelligence is becoming a defining force in the evolution of smart cities, reshaping how urban environments are understood, managed, and experienced. As AI moves from experimentation to large-scale implementation, cities are entering a new phase of transformation driven by data, automation, and predictive capabilities. Beyond efficiency and optimization, AI is also redefining the relationship between technology, governance, and society, raising important questions around trust, inclusion, transparency, and public value. This session explores how to harness AI not only to improve urban performance, but to build more resilient, sustainable, and human-centered futures.

The conversation explores the intersection of efficiency, citizen experience and societal impact by examining how technological innovation is helping governments become more agile, systematic, and responsive. Highlighting new opportunities for automation, streamlined workflows, reduced operational burdens, and stronger coordination across departments, the session will consider how these shifts are reshaping the way public administrations operate and deliver services. Building on this, practical applications and key challenges can be identified and examined to inform future action.

The way cities design, build and manage their built environment has changed forever. Digital tools are driving efficiency, reducing waste and unlocking new levels of coordination across the entire development lifecycle

Digital tools are fundamentally changing how cities conceive, deliver, and operate the built environment. What was once a fragmented process is evolving into a more connected, intelligent, and data-driven ecosystem, where design, construction, and operations are increasingly linked across the full lifecycle. This session examines how technologies such as BIM, digital twins, advanced simulation, and automation are transforming the way urban assets are planned, delivered, and managed, opening new possibilities for efficiency, coordination, and performance. In doing so, it reflects on how buildtech is contributing to a more sustainable, resilient, and future-ready urban environment.

Cities are rethinking how urban spaces are designed, built, and maintained in response to growing environmental, social, and economic pressures. Innovation in infrastructure, construction, and urban planning is driving a shift toward more sustainable, resilient, and adaptable urban environments. As cities expand and transform, the focus is moving beyond growth alone to creating spaces that improve quality of life, optimize resources, and respond to future challenges. The next generation of urban development will depend on integrated approaches that combine sustainability, efficiency, technology, and human-centered design to shape smarter and more livable cities.

Renewables, decentralization, geography and long-term resilience: how cities and regions are making the defining energy choices of our time.

As cities and regions confront rising demand, rapidly changing global contexts, and decarbonization goals, energy sovereignty has become a defining urban priority. This conversation explores what are the different possibilities when designing an efficient energy mix through renewables, decentralized systems, and context-specific strategies shaped by geography, resources, and long-term resilience. With a focus on energy security, new energy models, investment, and the clean transition, the conversation shows why there is no single path forward, but rather a need for diversified, reliable, and future-ready solutions.

How cities are anticipating, preparing for and absorbing escalating climate impacts: from extreme weather events to infrastructure stress and social vulnerability.

With increasingly complex shocks and stresses, cities must strengthen their capacity not only to respond and adapt to disruption, but to anticipate them. This session questions how urban areas are preparing for extreme weather events, infrastructure stress, and growing social vulnerability through more resilient planning, risk management, and coordinated emergency response. The discussion also explores how urban environments can mitigate negative effects of climate change, build resilience amid uncertainty, enhance coordinated emergency response and protect long-term urban prosperity.

Cities today stand at a turning point, where climate change, rapid urban growth, and environmental shifts are reshaping how urban areas function and evolve. These changes go beyond daily experience, influencing the very foundations and systems that support urban life. As cities adapt to increasing uncertainty and more complex challenges, the need for innovative, adaptive and resilient solutions becomes more urgent. This session brings together cutting-edge and practical solutions that help cities adapt, transform, and stay ahead of emerging challenges, paving the way toward more resilient, sustainable, and livable urban futures.

Human-centered design, accessible public spaces and everyday services are not just amenities – they are the building blocks of belonging. How do cities create places where people genuinely want to live?

A city starts to feel like home in the small, everyday moments: walking down a street, sitting in a square, running errands close by. These experiences depend greatly on how public spaces are designed, managed, and cared for. When people come first, these spaces become more than functional; they foster connection, safety, and a shared sense of belonging. Increasingly, cities are rethinking how public space is planned and maintained, from accessibility and inclusion to the role communities can play in shaping and sustaining it. Creating places that feel welcoming, lived-in, and meaningful is essential to building urban environments that people genuinely value.

Smart cities must focus on people and be as human as those who inhabit them. Integrating a child-centered approach—addressing the needs and voices of children and adolescents through their participation—improves responses to challenges such as climate, mobility, and housing. UNICEF promotes a rights-based approach, with global standards and participation, to achieve more accessible, sustainable, and inclusive cities.

Urban health systems, social services and age-friendly strategies are redefining what it means to live well in a city – for children, aging populations and everyone in between.

Wellbeing in city is shaped not only by access to services, but by how care is woven into the fabric of everyday life. As populations age and social needs become more complex, cities are moving beyond isolated systems toward more connected approaches that link health, social services, housing, and community networks. This shift places greater emphasis on prevention, inclusion, and proximity, ensuring support is accessible across all stages of life. From child-friendly environments to age-inclusive strategies, the focus is on creating conditions that enable independence, connection, and dignity, while strengthening the social and economic foundations that underpin long-term urban wellbeing.

Urban livability is shaped by a wide range of cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors, making each city experience unique, constantly evolving. What defines a “good place to live” can vary significantly, yet there are shared approaches that help improve quality of life across different contexts. Taking a comprehensive view of society, addressing the needs of diverse groups across multiple dimensions, from accessibility and equity to public space and daily well-being. This session presents practical case studies and tangible approaches aimed at enhancing everyday urban living conditions.

This co-organized session presents the CEMR–28DIGITAL programme “Empowering Local Leaders Through AI” and its AI training for local and regional governments’ leaders. By bringing together politicians and partners to discuss the importance of local leaders’ AI literacy for improving governance, and the need to scale practical capacity-building efforts to support cities and regions across Europe.

Agentic AI is redefining the relationship between digital technologies and urban and institutional systems, moving beyond decision support toward autonomous execution and coordination. Its adoption is transforming service delivery, infrastructure management, and operational models across both public and private sectors. With recent breakthroughs from leading technology innovators, cities and institutions now have the tools to turn this potential into real, measurable progress. As these systems become embedded in everyday processes, the challenge, and the opportunity, will be to deploy them responsibly at scale, ensuring safety, accountability, interoperability, and lasting public value. The path forward starts with deploying these technologies responsibly, building cities and institutions that are more resilient, efficient, and adaptive for the communities they serve.

This interview brings together Hiroshi Ishiguro and Hiroyuki Suzuki to explore how robotics, Avatar Science, and innovation are reshaping the future of society. With Ishiguro, we will discuss the profound questions at the heart of his work: What is life? What does it mean to be human? And how can technology expand human presence beyond the limits of the physical body? Suzuki will offer a complementary perspective on how Japan is preparing for these transformations through innovation, entrepreneurship, and the development of the Kyoto and Keihanna innovation ecosystem. Together, they will reflect on the technological, cultural, and social challenges that will shape the future of humanity.

Cities are becoming the new engines of inclusive prosperity. As affordability, wellbeing and social cohesion become defining urban challenges, livability is emerging as the new frontier of competitiveness. This high-level roundtable will explore how cities can design economies, services and policies around people’s everyday lives and needs, turning inclusion into growth, public space into connection and quality of life into a strategic asset. Because the most successful cities will not only attract investment and talent; they will make people want to stay, belong and thrive.

AI is rapidly becoming a new operating system for cities, shaping how governments anticipate needs, design services, allocate resources and engage with citizens. As it becomes embedded in urban decision-making, cities must ask who designs these systems, who can access the opportunities they create and who benefits. From GovTech innovation to inclusive skills and accountable leadership, how can cities ensure the AI transition works for everyone?

Artificial intelligence is redefining the future of cities and communities. The convergence of AI, digital twins, spatial intelligence, robotics, and the AI-enabled Citiverse is creating a new generation of places that are increasingly intelligent, adaptive, and autonomous. As local and regional governments face growing challenges from housing and urban planning to climate resilience, mobility, and public service delivery, the opportunity is to harness these technologies to build more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous communities. Realizing this vision requires international interoperable standards, forward-looking governance, sustainable digital infrastructure, and global collaboration to ensure that innovation delivers lasting public value and improves quality of life for all.

This panel explores how digital urban prototypes can move from one-off pilots to projects that are ready to finance, scale and deliver real impact. Led by the IDB Group, the session brings together IDB Cities LAB, the Costa Rican Electricity Institute and the City of Vitória, Brazil, to discuss how public and private capital can share risk and return, align investment with urban priorities, and turn bold ideas into deployable solutions.

How city governments are embedding AI into their operations – for prediction, resource allocation and sustainable urban development. Real deployments, real outcomes.

As cities seek to become more efficient, sustainable, and responsive, AI is emerging as a powerful tool to support better urban decision-making. City governments are integrating AI into their operations to improve forecasting, optimize resource allocation, and strengthen planning across key areas of urban management. The discussion explores how municipalities are turning data into practical action and measurable outcomes for better city governance, while also reflecting on the new opportunities AI creates for public decision-making, as well as the institutional and operational challenges involved in embedding these technologies into the structures of public administration.

How real-time monitoring, predictive analytics and connected infrastructure are redefining urban safety and resilience – and the cybersecurity challenges they bring.

Cities are adopting more connected and intelligent systems to monitor and anticipate risks, improve coordination and strengthen their capacity to respond in real time. This session explores how technologies such as IoT sensing, predictive analytics, and integrated safety systems are helping cities detect threats earlier, improve emergency response, strengthen cybersecurity, and build greater urban resilience. As public safety becomes increasingly linked to data, connectivity, and cross-sector coordination, the discussion will examine how cities can better protect people, infrastructure, and essential services in a more complex and rapidly changing urban environment.

Emerging technologies and AI-driven innovations are accelerating a new phase of urban transformation, redefining how cities operate, evolve, and interact with citizens. As innovation moves faster than ever, cities are becoming testing grounds for new models of governance, connectivity, sustainability, and urban experience. The challenge is no longer only technological adoption, but the ability to translate innovation into meaningful impact and long-term public value. This session examines how new technological solutions, powered by AI and innovation, are being applied through projects designed to improve cities and enhance urban life.

Behind every smart city is a material backbone: data centers, sensors, networks and devices. Exploring the physical infrastructure that makes urban connectivity possible – and vulnerable.

Most of what makes a smart city work isn’t visible. It sits in the background: networks, sensors, data centers, and devices quietly enabling all aspects of urban life. As cities rely more on real-time data and AI, this underlying infrastructure is under growing pressure to deliver faster, more reliable performance. That shift is driving innovation, while making issues such as cybersecurity, long-term maintenance, and the resilience of critical infrastructure in the face of disruptions and emerging threats increasingly important. Getting this foundation right is key to keeping urban systems running smoothly, securely, and at scale.

By 2030, data centers will account for 8.6% of global energy demand. As capacity triples in Europe and sprawl accelerates in North America, cities face unprecedented pressure on land and resources. This session addresses how strategic land-use policy and zoning can transition these facilities from isolated, resource-heavy sites into integrated, dense, and climate-aligned urban infrastructure.

Beyond access and literacy, this session argues for a genuine digital understanding: the ability of every citizen to navigate the digital world critically, distinguish reliable information from manipulation, and make informed, mindful choices about personal data and attention. It calls for a sustained civic commitment to building a digitally mature society and nurturing a shared digital culture.

In the digital age, opportunity is unevenly distributed. Addressing the divides in access, literacy and rights that define who benefits from urban innovation and who gets left behind.

In increasingly digital cities, opportunity is shaped by more than connectivity—it depends on who has the access, skills, and rights to participate fully. While digital technologies are transforming economies and public services, they also risk deepening existing inequalities if inclusion is not addressed from the outset. Cities are beginning to take a more holistic approach, combining infrastructure, education, and rights-based frameworks to expand access to digital opportunity. As AI reshapes the workforce and decision-making systems, the challenge is not only to bridge divides, but to build inclusive digital ecosystems where innovation supports social equity, economic participation, and individual empowerment.

Next-generation lighting, from energy-efficient street lighting to smart integrated infrastructures, is quietly transforming safety, emissions and the experience of public space.

Urban lighting is a strategic service that shapes how cities function after dark. This session unveils how next-generation lighting systems, from energy-efficient street lighting to connected and integrated infrastructure, are improving public space, reducing emissions, supporting safer urban environments. How cities can use light more intelligently to enhance urban experience, optimize operations, and deliver more responsive, sustainable, and people-centered services?

Discover how plug-and-play AI and digital solutions can help create thriving, future-ready communities. This session highlights affordable, open-source innovations that empower small and medium size municipalities and cities in the Global South alike. By focusing on flexible interoperability, we will explore how cities can adopt affordable, sustainable technology, collaborate across platforms, and build resilient urban futures on their own terms.

Smart grids, storage systems, electrification and integrated management platforms – the tools that turn energy ambition into operational reality.

Turning clean energy goals into everyday urban reality requires a new generation of technologies capable of making energy systems smarter, more flexible, and more efficient. This session showcases the innovations supporting that shift, from smart grids to electrification, AI, digital tools, and integrated management platforms. By bringing together practical perspectives from different solutions and areas of expertise, the discussion highlights how more adaptive, intelligent, and efficient energy systems are reshaping the way cities manage energy and accelerate the transition.

Energy is the backbone of modern cities—powering mobility, housing, digital services, industry, and everyday life. As urban populations evolve and energy demand continues to rise, ensuring a continuous, reliable and affordable energy supply becomes essential. At the same time, cities face increasing pressure to transition towards cleaner, more efficient and sustainable energy systems that can support long-terms progress and reduce environmental impact. The session presents proven real-world solutions that are transforming urban energy systems, exploring how they are produced, managed, transported, and integrated into urban infrastructure to create smarter and future-ready cities.

Large-scale urban transformation requires bold financing. Exploring the innovative models, international funds & publicprivate strategies that are making ambitious cities possible.

This discussion focuses on the central role of finance and investment in enabling urban transformation and supporting the progress cities need across the world. Looking at climate finance, partnership schemes, and global funding mechanisms, the session examines how these models contribute to sustainable urban development and are gaining relevance within the global urban agenda, especially where access to resources determines cities’ ability to move from ambition to implementation. Lastly, it questions how financing and investment approaches may evolve in the years ahead to address existing challenges and respond to growing priorities.

No city solves alone. Cross-sector alliances, city-to-city cooperation and multi-stakeholder partnerships are emerging as the most effective response to shared urban challenges.

Digital transformation requires networks and partnerships that help cities turn ambition into implementation. Moderated by IDB Cities LAB, this interactive discussion brings together representatives from Brazil’s Ministry of Cities and Spain’s Smart Cities Network (RECI) to explore how national programs and city networks accelerate innovation, strengthen local capacities, and scale knowledge exchange.

At a time of growing urban complexity, collaboration is more essential than ever. This session showcases joint projects and alliances that demonstrate how partnerships can build capacity, accelerate action, and amplify impact. Emphasizing also the importance of multi-level collaboration, not only between cities and territories, but also among stakeholders within the same city. Through concrete examples, the session illustrates why cooperation matters and how stronger coordination can help address shared challenges in a more inclusive and effective way.

Digital innovation is redefining how cities and organizations address growing urban challenges, creating new models for planning, service delivery, and day-to-day operations. Technologies such as AI, digital twins, and intelligent data platforms are enabling more predictive, efficient, and data-driven ways of managing urban environments. This session will examine how these capabilities are transforming operational efficiency, reduce emissions, and strengthen urban resilience. Successfully embedding these technologies into existing systems will be critical to building more agile, responsive, and future-ready cities.

Mapping AI’s boundaries – and what comes next. An honest look at current constraints and the emerging technologies that could overcome them.

AI capabilities continue to evolve, but so do the technical, financial, and operational constraints that shape what these systems can realistically achieve. This session takes an honest look at the current boundaries of AI, from latency and computing power to data storage, infrastructure, access to investment, and deployment constraints, while also showcasing the emerging technologies that may help overcome them. Looking beyond today’s barriers, it will offer insight into what comes next and how future advances in AI could shape the development of technologies and cities.

Urban digital platforms are increasingly being used to navigate the complexity of urban environments, helping cities better understand how they function and evolve. By enabling data-driven decision-making and scenario exploration, these tools support more effective and forward-looking planning. This session explores the role of simulations within these platforms—what they can currently offer, from predictive insights to scenario testing, and what possibilities they open for the future of urban digital systems, while also examining how governments are adopting these tools in practice and the challenges involved in developing, financing, and translating them into meaningful outcomes for urban planning.

Education, civic life, creative industries and responsible tourism are not the backdrop to urban development. They are its engine. How cultural ecosystems build identity, care and quality of life from within.

Culture shapes not only how cities are experienced, but how they are lived and understood by the people who call them home. Through education, creative expression, and everyday participation in urban life, culture helps build identity, strengthen belonging, and deepen the relationship between communities and their surroundings. The challenge lies in supporting this vibrancy while maintaining authenticity, accessibility, and balance. As cultural activity drives economic value and social cohesion, cities are exploring more integrated approaches that connect culture with planning, community life, and local economies, ensuring it remains a living, inclusive force that evolves from within rather than being imposed.

From accessibility and public services to safety and community wellbeing, cities face challenges that directly shape people’s everyday lives. The technological revolution is opening new possibilities to respond to these needs in practical and inclusive ways. This session showcases solutions that combine innovation with a people-centred approach, exploring through real-world cases how technology can improve urban experiences and respond to diverse needs across the city.

Parks, urban forests, green corridors and regenerative design are not only amenities – they are climate tools, health assets and biodiversity engine.

Designing greener cities is not simply an environmental ambition, but a practical urban priority tied to resilience, public health, and quality of life. This session explores how cities are moving from vision to implementation through parks, urban forests, green corridors, and other nature-based solutions, while addressing the governance, financing, and delivery challenges that often shape their impact. Bringing together case-based experiences, the discussion will look at what is working, how cities are embedding green infrastructure into broader urban strategies, and what it takes to scale these interventions in ways that deliver tangible benefits for both people and the urban environment.

Rethinking water and waste management as a critical asset for public health, environmental protection and the quality of urban life.

Water and waste management are no longer just basic urban services, but essential pillars of environmental stewardship, urban quality of life, and public health. This session explores how cities are managing these systems through more circular, efficient, and integrated approaches that reduce waste, protect water resources, and improve service delivery. Highlighting innovative models and practical strategies that help turn resource management into a driver of resilience, livability, and urban sustainability.

Tourism, commerce, talent, startups, knowledge industries: the forces shaping urban competitiveness. How are cities attracting what they need to thrive in a changing global economy?

As cities are in constant evolution, so are the opportunities to strengthen their economic profile and long-term competitiveness. This session explores the different strategies cities can adopt to capitalize on these opportunities by attracting talent and investment, supporting sustainable growth, and fostering knowledge-based industries. Through a range of examples, the session examines how these dynamics can drive innovation, expand economic potential, and enhance urban competitiveness.

Cities are key drivers of economic growth, innovation, and social progress, making effective governance and strong economic strategies essential for long-term success. As urban systems become more complex and interconnected, governments must adapt quickly to evolving challenges, supported by digital tools, data-driven decision-making, and strengthened institutional capabilities. At the same time, cities need to invest in resilient long-term strategies and reinforce the economic and political foundations that support competitiveness, stability, and prosperity. This session presents practical approaches and real-world solutions that help shape more efficient, adaptive, and future-oriented urban governance and economic systems.

Retrofitting, green building standards and low-emission infrastructure: How are cities upgrading existing assets and creating new solutions to meet future needs?

Across cities, the push to reduce emissions is reshaping how buildings and infrastructure are designed, upgraded, and managed. What was once a series of isolated interventions is becoming a more coordinated effort, bringing together buildings, energy systems, and urban infrastructure. Retrofitting existing assets, improving energy performance, and adopting low-carbon materials are now central strategies, alongside the integration of renewables and smarter energy management. At the same time, resilience is moving up the agenda, influencing how infrastructure is designed and maintained. Delivering on these ambitions requires new approaches to financing, governance, and collaboration across the entire urban ecosystem.

Books shape how we think about cities — and sometimes, how we govern them. The day after the Pattis Family Foundation Global Cities Book Award ceremony, the winning author joins jury members and urban practitioners from around the world for a live debate on the book's core arguments. What do its ideas mean for the cities we are building today? Where do theory and practice diverge — and where do they converge?