Smart City Expo World Congress ha compartido esto
As the dust from this year's Smart City Expo World Congress settles, I've had the opportunity to reflect on the pivotal conversations and overarching themes that defined the event. It's clear that cities and infrastructure globally are at a critical juncture, grappling with the accelerating pace of technological advancement, increasing financing gaps and the pressing need for climate resilience. Cities are on the front line of these challenges, yet the resounding message from the Congress was one of readiness, determination and willingness to be the catalysts for innovation. The imperative is clear: we must act swiftly, at scale, and with demonstrable impact. My key takeaways from the Congress, which I believe are crucial for shaping our urban future, revolve around four interconnected pillars and underpinned the conversations that we had with city leaders over HarmoniCity - our 3D immersive city planning platform: 1. Everything is Connected – to be resilient, city planners need to consider the ecosystem, consider how assets interconnect (or how they should) and plan for an efficient, effective and resilience operating cities and they consider everything from policy-making to project implementation. 2. Innovation as a Catalyst: Cities must embrace their role as 'living laboratories'. This involves piloting new solutions rapidly, meticulously measuring their outcomes, and scaling those that prove successful. Technologies such as digital twins, smart grids, and circular economy models are not merely aspirational; they are tangible job creators and essential tools for building sustainable urban environments. 3. Its all about data – Cities and assets produce large amounts of data – capturing this in usable form and making it ‘good’ data is critical to future success in project delivery and city operations. Collection, access and management of data as well as investing in robust monitoring systems, early warning mechanisms, and predictive analytics is paramount. Real-time data has the power to save both lives and budgets by enabling proactive responses to everything that impacts a city. 4. Manage the EcoSystem – Cities need to consider the entire ecosystem of public and private sectors as well as citizens when looking at asset delivery and city management. Cities cannot tackle their complex challenges in isolation. Collaboration with startups, utility providers, financial institutions, academia, and cross-city networks are the true engines of scale. These alliances are particularly vital in driving progress in areas such as sustainable mobility, clean energy transitions, innovative procurement strategies, and the development of common standards. Having all of these working in harmony is key to success. The Smart City Expo World Congress reinforced the notion that while the challenges are significant, the collective will and innovative spirit to build more resilient, sustainable, and equitable cities are stronger than ever.