World Smart City Awards 2021

Discover last year's pioneering award winners!

The annual World Smart City Awards is a prestigious international competition that seeks to recognize pioneering projects, ideas and strategies making cities around the world more livable, sustainable, and economically viable.

After a highly competitive selection process, last year's awards ceremony took place at Smart City Expo World Congress on November 17, 2021, placing the awarded projects in the spotlight on a recognized international platform and in front of a large, diverse audience.

Check out the winning projects below!

World Smart City Awards - 2021 Winners

Entries for this edition came from 46 countries worldwide and were of an exceptionally high standard.

City Award

Awarded to Cities for developed global strategies combining projects, initiatives and policy implementations for their citizens.

WINNER!

Municipal Solid Waste Management Plan of the City of Buenos Aires
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Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

Since 2012, the City is implementing an Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management Plan in order to promote waste reduction, encourage waste segregation and, therefore, reducing waste disposition in local landfill. The main aim is to develop circular economy models for each waste current.

Belo Horizonte S.M.A.R.T. City Project
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Prefeitura de Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte has engaged in interconnected smart city approaches, for operational efficiency and sustainable development; improving response capacities of its administration; with digital technologies to improve quality of life; efficient public services, and transversal action of its agencies.

City motivational platform PRIME ENGINE
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Committee for Economic Policy and Strategic Planning of St. Petersburg

PRIME ENGINE - digital ecosystem of OneCardSPb project aimed at the models of state-public cooperation, multilateral cooperation of citizens in the development of the city. Ecological anthropology with the leading principles of empathic, aware, open, engaged, inclusive and thankful society.

User
—
centered design for access to digital Archives and History

City of Sydney

The City transformed the management and access to over 1 million archives and history resources, rationalising thirteen outdated systems into a single innovative user-centered digital solution that has been embraced by its communities.

Becoming the UK’s smartest city
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the story of Sunderland, a connected urban centre of the future

Sunderland City Council

The evolution of Sunderland’s Smart City Programme has catalysed Sunderland’s status as one of the UK’s leading smart cities, on track to positioning its residents and businesses as leaders, digitally equipped to succeed. Sunderland’s digital capabilities are driving economic & social transformation.

NYC Internet Master Plan
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City of New York

NYC's groundbreaking Internet Master Plan is a $157-million+ effort to leverage assets in unprecedented ways to extend affordable broadband internet to every New Yorker -- a bold, transformational approach to erase barriers to economic and social inclusion and enable people to thrive.

CATEGORY

Leadership Award

Awarded to exemplary living individuals who have made significant contributions to advancing smart cities projects worldwide during the last 10 years.

WINNER!

Carlos Moreno
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For his 15-minute cities vision and bringing new perspectives to addressing urban challenges.

WINNER!

Benedetta Tagliabue
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For bringing beauty and liveability to our cities through the redesign of public spaces and urban buildings.

Victor Pineda
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For upholding human rights and safeguarding the rights of persons with disabilities in cities.

Zhiguang Shan
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For his contribution towards developing smart city technological standards for the cities of tomorrow.

CATEGORY

Innovation Recovery Award

Awarded to projects with the potential of contributing to the successful transformation, adaptation or response of our cities to the Covid-19 pandemic or others that may occur in the future.

WINNER!

Smart City Empowers Wuhan's Revitalization after COVID-19, Spurring Innovations for Mega-city Governance
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Wuhan Municipal People’s Government

As the first batch of pilot cities for smart cities in China, Wuhan City, based on the new generation of information technology, continuously promotes the wide application of big data intelligence in urban governance, and promotes the economic recovery and urban development after the pandemic.

Curitiba Economic Recovery Plan
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Curitiba City Hall

Curitiba City Hall is working, along with the Pinhão Valley ecosystem, to support the economic recovery and acceleration of the city during this period of crisis. The objective is to implement a diversity of solution to offer entrepreneurs and business access to digital transformation and funding.

High Streets Data Service for London
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Greater London Authority

The GLA, in collaboration with 21 London boroughs, has launched a new High Streets Data Service that gives borough officers access to data on the health of London’s 600 High Streets- with access spend and footfall data across London both in its raw form and via a custom-built Data Explorer tool.

Pact for reactivation and growth
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Alcaldía de Manizales

The Pact for Reactivation and Growth of the city of Manizales was born from a process of collective intelligence and co-creation, as a response to the worst economic crisis in our recent history, with a specific plan to put Manizales back on the path of long-term economic growth in the next 3 years.

Transportation systems that breathe
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WeavAir

Proactive end-to-end solution for air ventilation systems that prevents the spread of contamination and infection, while saving energy and reducing operational and maintenance costs, resulting in 18x ROI in less than 2 years.

Biocidal Technologies in Public Transport System in the context of COVID-19 in Santiago, Chile
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Metropolitan Public Transport Directory

Test biocidal technologies in air conditioning systems and bus surfaces of the Santiago Public Transportation System to contain the spread of COVID-19 and other pathogens (viruses and bacteria), providing greater health security to users of the System.

CATEGORY

Enabling Technologies Award

Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in the fields of data and technology.

WINNER!

Forging a new era of decision making in smart cities: the case of DUET
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Digital Urban European Twins
Digital Flanders Agency

DUET leverages the concept of digital twin to evolve urban planning in smart cities. Our interoperable platform helps local stakeholders improve both operational decisions and long-term policy planning. The solution is being co-created with policy makers and citizens in three locations in Europe.

TASMU Central Platform
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Government of Qatar

The TASMU Platform is a one-of-a-kind Smart City Platform that is the technology and innovation vehicle to deliver QNV 2030. The TASMU platform provides vital enabling capabilities for smart cross-sector use-cases to leverage an open data ecosystem and smart products and services to improve citizens' quality of life, drive economic diversification, and create a knowledge-based economy.

UMBRELLA
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An open access testbed for accelerating IoT innovation to address real world challenges

Toshiba Europe Limited

UMBRELLA is £6.8 million project building a state of the art sustainable and open Industrial Internet of Things research and development testbed to enhance the South Gloucestershire region’s digital capabilities and support innovation in smart city applications and IoT across multiple sectors.

CATEGORY

Energy & Environment Award

Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in relating to urban environments.

WINNER!

Living Lab Scheveningen: The Urban Innovation Testbed
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City of The Hague

Living Lab Scheveningen is a digitally connected urban environment where digital innovations are applied in the public space to help solve complex societal challenges together with citizens, businesses and the public sector. The aim is to create a sustainable, safe and pleasant living environment.

FloodNet NYC
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City of New York

Flooding is a serious and worsening problem worldwide, as shown by the severe impact of recent climate change-fueled weather events. FloodNet is a cooperative of communities, researchers & NYC government working to better understand the frequency, severity, and impacts of flooding in New York City.

Agricultural Field Analysis and Reporting Application
—
Tarımsal Alan Analiz ve Raporlama Uygulaması

Konya Metropolitan Municipality

It is an application that allows our farmers in Konya to monitor the data of their fields by using satellite images and making various analyzes.

CATEGORY

Mobility Award

Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in the field of mobility.

WINNER!

Smart Mobility Analytics (SMA). A solution to handle the mobility in a passenger cruiser terminal
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Port of Barcelona

SMA is an Intelligent Mobility System, based on cameras and AI logic, that will provide real-time information to all the stakeholder managing the transport flows reducing traffic congestion (people and vehicles) at the terminal during the landing operation.

Georgia Smart: How the City of Valdosta is Improving Traffic Communication for Safety & Efficiency
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Partnership for Inclusive Innovation

Supported by the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge, the City of Valdosta piloted a smart traffic management system connecting all 128 traffic signals, including evaluation. Emergency vehicle signal pre-emption and a corresponding app, TravelSafely, were also deployed in the community.

AI for greener mobility: why carrots work better than sticks in response to the climate challenge
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MOTIONTAG

We believe that both positive change in individual behavior and data-driven mobility planning play a crucial part in the solution to fight climate change. Therefore, we developed an app that tackles the biggest European emitter: the transportation sector, and helps to change one’s mobility patterns.

CATEGORY

Governance & Economy Award

Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in the fields of governance and finance.

WINNER!

The G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance on Technology Governance
—
World Economic Forum

The G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance unites governments, private-sector partners and citizens around principles for the responsible use of smart city technologies. The Alliance establishes global policy norms to accelerate best practices, mitigate risks, and foster openness and public trust.

Scotland’s 8th City
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The Smart City Strategic Intervention

Scottish Cities Alliance

‘Scotland’s 8th City – the Smart City’ is an ambitious ERDF programme involving Scotland’s cities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth & Stirling. Working together, partners aim to make those cities more attractive, liveable and resilient through data and digital technology.

BAHAM (Neighborhoods Development and Citizen Engagement). BAHAM means “Work Together”
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Tehran Municipality ICT Organization

“Neighborhoods Development and Citizen Engagement" project, named BAHAM, intends to engage citizens in governing the city. It uses a combination of conventional and modern tools to gather locals' viewpoints in designing and implementation of urban projects and improve the citizens’ quality of life.

CATEGORY

Living & Inclusion Award

Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in relation to inclusive and sharing cities.

WINNER!

Chengdu: Innovative implementation of online governance, for creating a smart liveable and inclusive
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Chengdu Municipal People's Government

Focus on key areas such as government services,operation,public services, risk prevention and control,industrial development,optimize and re-engineer business processes,improve quality and efficiency of urban services,governance and development,to create a pan-city of wisdom,livability and tolerance.

Academy of the Near Future
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Smart Docklands

The Academy of the Near Future supports current and future change makers to develop their skills and become more engaged with smart city initiatives through our introductory education programmes.

2BHK (2 Bedroom Hall Kitchen)
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Dignity Housing Program

Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department, Government of Telangana

The 2BHK Housing is one of the flagship program of the Government of Telangana. It is unique in the sense that it made a marked difference in the weaker section housing program in the India by ensuring dignified housing at free of cost to shelter-less poor people living Below the Poverty Line.

CATEGORY

Safety & Security Award

Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in relation to urban safety and security.

WINNER!

Desert water utility authority future proofs infrastructure with IoT and cybersecurity
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Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority

Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority is prepared to confront cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure with a modernized network, IoT technologies, and security solutions, which ensure operators see everything from changes in water conditions to cyber and physical threats.

MyDataShare
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When Smart Is Not Enough

Vastuu Group

MyDataShare provides smart cities the means to embrace the human-centric MyData principles to transparently control access to personal data. It enables cost-efficient modernization of the personal data-related digital infrastructure through zero-code Access Gateway functionality.

Social Patrolling: cross-sectoral commitment to act and respond in real time
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Secretary of Security, Coexistence and justice of Bogotá

The emergency line 123 receives 32% calls daily from citizens who require the presence of the police in matters that are not their competence but of other entities. Patrolling, is the strategy created by the mayor’s office with a cross-sectoral response, with visible actions to problems in real time.

World Smart City Awards 2021

Discover last year's pioneering award winners!