Track: | Infrastructure & Building |

Airport cities are often isolated, technically advanced entities ideal as test environments for other business districts. Although discussed for decades, market forces have not fully discovered their potential, and airports often develop urban environments without being aware of it. This stream aims to highlight the opportunities and challenges of airport city development and to foster dialogue with other neighbourhood developments.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Leveraging on the UN-Habitat Housing Primer Course, recently launched at the World Urban Forum 13 in Baku, UN-Habitat facilitators will identify gaps and opportunities in capacity building and development concerning the innovation sphere and lay the groundwork for a first training module that will combine housing affordability with innovation.

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.

A relaxed moment to have a drink and mingle with other attendees at the venue’s main entrance after the World Smart City Awards gala.

Europe faces two interconnected challenges: the climate emergency and the housing crisis. This session explores how affordable housing can become a key driver of urban decarbonization through public policies, innovative delivery models, circular construction and cross-sector collaboration. Rather than focusing on individual buildings, the discussion will address the mechanisms that make systemic change possible.

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.

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.

A unique opportunity to learn first-hand how technology, data and innovation are transforming operational efficiency, service quality and decision-making in Facility Management

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.

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

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.