Track: Living & Inclusion

Fast-paced and inspiring, this session brings together universities and research centers to the stage. Each organization gives a 10 minute presentation about their cutting-edge projects, revealing emerging discoveries, and exploring how their work is shaping the future of smart cities.

Cities are reimagining services and infrastructures to strengthen sustainability. As urban environments evolve, smart resource management, resilient systems, and green planning are key to shaping tomorrow’s cities. This session explores how energy innovation and urban strategies drive cleaner, more adaptive, and sustainable communities.

From AI-driven compliance and citizen engagement tools to smart sharing infrastructure, impact-driven learning platforms, and net-zero mobility solutions, these startups empower cities and communities to thrive sustainably. Discover technologies that streamline governance, foster participation, enhance resource sharing, and create measurable social, environmental, and economic impact.

Join to explore how (and why!) inclusive innovation can drive positive change. From the EU’s vision and funding impact to specific insights from those supporting innovation on connectivity, circularity, mobility, or to improve resilience, the debate connects policy to practice with contributions spanning public institutions, cities and the private sector.

How can cities create more inclusive environments that support women, immigrants and other marginalized groups? As technology becomes essential, how can we bridge the digital divide and ensure equitable access to tools and services? This session will explore the strategies and measures that cities are implementing to promote equity and inclusion, by incentivizing the participation of minority communities and ensuring fair access to essential services and opportunities.

How can cities create more inclusive environments that support the needs and aspirations of women, immigrants, and other marginalized groups? How can we bridge the digital gap and ensure all equitable access to technology and online resources?

How can cities turn vision into reality to improve quality of life? Bridging the gap between ambition and action requires practical strategies that prioritize livability, wellbeing and inclusive urban development. This session will explore how city leaders and innovators are translating ideas into tangible solutions, shaping urban environments that are more connected, equitable and responsive to citizens’ needs.

How can green spaces transform cities into healthier, more inclusive, and biodiverse environments? As urban areas expand, integrating smart lighting, environmental monitoring, and sustainable design becomes key to enhancing quality of life. This roundtable will delve into how green infrastructure can foster urban ecosystem balance, boost physical well-being, and strengthen community connections in the pursuit of greener cities.

Cities face unprecedented challenges: environmental degradation, climate change, and chronic health issues. Urban nature improves health and wellbeing. This presentation highlights global evidence, pathways, and synergies between environmental and human health goals, showing how nature can support healthier, more resilient urban communities.

How do green spaces in cities contribute to improving the quality of life, enhance biodiversity, and fostering community engagement and physical well-being?

Welcome to the 2025 edition of our events – 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 transforming the way we live, move, and build. Get ready to explore bold ideas and groundbreaking strategies.

This session will discuss the effect of online tools (mis)use on citizen trust and participation in democracy, as well as strategies to counter misinformation and to promote digital media literacy. On the background of the EU Democracy Shield initiative, cities will exchange their experiences and discuss approaches to better respond to threats, and to continue enabling citizen participation in offline and online spaces.

This session explores how Digital Citizenship Education (DCE) can be a powerful tool to address youth exclusion and gender inequalities in a connected society. PLATFORMA, with the involvement of local authorities, CSOs, and youth actors, will showcase solutions for inclusive digital spaces and empower local action against online violence, discrimination, and democratic disengagement.

This session explores how cities can manage tourism sustainably, using a resilience-based approach to balance the influx of visitors and their economic benefits with the affordability and livability of their residents. Barcelona, Amsterdam and Rio de Janeiro will present initiatives towards this purpose. Moreover, UN-Habitat and UN-Tourism will present a new global effort to help cities and territories assess tourism-related risks and their positive and undesirable impacts on the urban system.

This stage session reveals how standard municipal operations across Europe—from cybersecurity protocols to smart city infrastructure management—actively safeguard digital rights, often without being framed in rights-based language. This session will start with a key-note from the EU Commission on the latest report of the Digital Decade 2030

Launched in March 2025, MICAD is an EU-funded project supporting inclusive metropolitan planning for climate and digital transitions. This session will present its goals, approach, and main outputs—including toolkits and Roadmaps—and invite participants to share feedback to help refine and adapt the project.

From public guarantees to social enterprise vehicles, new models are mobilizing private capital for housing and urban infrastructure while advancing public goals. This session convenes investors, governments, and corporations to co-create finance structures that scale innovation and meet social needs. Panelists will explore catalytic capital, loan funds, and enterprises that align incentives, cut risk, preserve affordability, and embed equity.

Join us in celebrating the most innovative and impactful initiatives shaping the future of urban living. The World Smart City Awards recognize pioneering projects, visionary leaders, and transformative strategies that are driving progress in cities around the globe. This ceremony is a tribute to excellence, creativity, and collaboration in building smarter, more sustainable urban environments.

As urban populations grow, the need for affordable, scalable, and sustainable housing is more urgent than ever. From modular construction to smart housing and regulatory innovation, new approaches are reshaping how cities house their residents. How can cross-sector collaboration turn these innovations into lasting, inclusive solutions?

Washington Fajardo will discuss how Latin American cities — in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) — are pioneering solutions to the housing crisis through innovation, technology, and cross-sector partnerships. The session highlights scalable, inclusive, and sustainable housing models, showing how regulatory innovation and public-private collaboration drive resilience, social inclusion, and equitable, human-centered urban transformation.

Urban growth presents complex challenges in ensuring that all residents can live in safe, inclusive, and thriving communities. In this session, Orna Rosenfeld will share insights from her international work on housing and urban development, exploring the social, economic, and policy dimensions that shape city life. With a broad perspective on urban growth, she will highlight the opportunities and challenges in creating equitable, resilient, and vibrant cities for everyone.

How can policymakers, urban planners, and tech innovators collaborate to create scalable, affordable, and sustainable housing solutions for growing cities? What technologies and strategies show the most promise in tackling the housing crisis?

Cities face a growing gap in housing needs, aging infrastructure, and persistent social inequalities. As affordability declines, innovative approaches to building and urban development are essential. This session will focus on centering equity in urban development by reimagining construction methods, housing policies, and design strategies to create sustainable, resilient, equitable, and accessible homes for all.

The Cities Coalition for Digital Rights yearly meet up will gather its members to update on the latest activities of the Coalition and leave a space for open discussion to foster cities’ engagement in the Coalition.

Cities face complex security challenges across both physical and digital spaces. As technologies like AI integrate into urban life, issues such as data privacy, cybersecurity, and public space safety demand creative, human-centered solutions. Thoughtful approaches to urban security, rooted in trust, ethics, and equity, are essential to maintain public confidence and ensure safe, inclusive cities. How can cities rethink security to protect people without compromising their rights?

As cities face evolving threats, how can technology enhance safety without compromising trust or inclusion? From cybersecurity to public space protection, innovation must align with human values. Explore how resilient, equitable strategies can secure digital and physical worlds for all citizens.

How are the latest technological innovations transforming urban safety and resilience? What strategies could foster cybersecurity innovation while maintaining public trust?

How does digital transformation will enhance citizen participation while ensuring data transparency and security? How can we guide behavior in the digital world and secure our digital rights? This roundtable will discuss how local governments are protecting citizen’s digital rights and identities in a connected world while ensuring privacy, fostering digital trust and countering disinformation.

With 47 projects supported with €181 million in funding, the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) puts 5G technology at the service of the most innovative smart cities: we drive digital transformation, improve public services, and enhance quality of life for citizens across the European Union.  

How does digital transformation enhance citizen participation while ensuring data transparency and security? How can we guide behavior in the digital world and secure our digital rights?

How can cities guarantee the best living conditions for their citizens? In what ways can urban planning strategies promote equitable access to resources public amenities for all citizens? The discussion will delve into the measures that ensure inclusive public spaces and uphold everyone’s right to urban life, looking at the strategies influencing urban design to foster safer, more accessible, and sustainable environments.

Inclusive urban strategies are reshaping how cities design spaces that meet the needs of all residents. In this session, representatives from Montreal and Sunderland will share their cities’ journeys toward greater inclusivity, highlighting efforts to enhance accessibility, wellbeing, and community life. The session will explore similarities and differences in the cities’ strategies, shedding light on how thoughtful planning, collaboration, and community engagement drive more inclusive and livable urban environments.

How can cities guarantee the best living conditions for their citizens? In what ways can urban planning strategies promote equitable access to resources public amenities for all citizens?

This session explores how Living Labs enable cities to test and scale inclusive, citizen-centric, co-created digital solutions in real-life environments. Through a moderated panel discussion, participants gain insight into practical examples from city-led and city-based initiatives, highlighting the steps taken to ensure digital innovation supports, and doesn’t overlook, the needs of communities, including those considered vulnerable.

As global tensions and inequalities deepen, the role of cities as spaces for opportunity becomes essential. By embracing forward-thinking policies and a strong focus on wellbeing, governments are advancing towards fostering cities where individuals and communities can truly thrive. Smart cities, guided by inclusive governance and the responsible use of emerging technologies, can guarantee access to essential resources and become powerful engines for prosperity and fulfilling urban life.

This session will feature a video message from Mr. Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms of the European Commission, addressing the EU Agenda for Cities.

This session will examine how disinformation challenges democratic processes at the local level, analyzing recent campaigns that have disrupted local governance and exploring technological and policy-based countermeasures. We'll discuss collaborative frameworks between government, civil society, and technology providers to establish actionable strategies for building digital resilience in urban communities while preserving open information ecosystems essential to democratic participation.

This event will explore how the principles and enablers of the International Guidelines on People-Centred Smart Cities, which span from shared prosperity, to data and smart cities services, governance, and regulation, etc., can be applied to foster access to adequate housing and basic services in cities globally.

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.

Rethinking how our neighborhoods are designed is crucial to creating diverse, sustainable spaces that meet local needs and empower residents.

The “Sustainable Public Spaces through Inclusive Community Engagement (SPICE)” project aims to develop a participatory co-creation model for shaping neighborhoods that align with the European Green Deal and the principles of the New European Bauhaus.

Cities drive global change, where the daily tasks that sustain life—care, services, housing, protection, jobs and local economies—must be recognized and integrated into governance. As digitalization and new transitions reshape urban futures, this session explores how the municipalist movement led by UCLG redefines care and wellbeing to accelerate the SDGs and transform multilateral action ahead of the 2026 UCLG World Congress.

The RAISE event, a project funded by the Italian Ministry for University and Research in the Next Generation EU framework, will highlight the results achieved in promoting AI and robotics as key enabling technologies and drivers of innovations for the design of future Intelligent and inclusive Smart Cities and Smart and Sustainable Ports.

How do urban policies and practices support the well-being of citizens and promote a healthier quality of life? In what ways can cities position social services as the foundation of thriving, resilient communities? This session will explore how cities are placing people at the center of urban agendas to ensure holistic wellness and care for all.

As cities face increasing social and environmental challenges, wellbeing is becoming a central pillar of urban policy and planning. Beyond infrastructure and services, the focus is shifting toward inclusion, equity and quality of life. This session will explore how good governance, sustainable strategies and innovative urban models can embed wellbeing into decision-making, creating cities that foster fairer communities and a better quality of life.

Urban environments strongly influence health, wellbeing, and access to resources. Laura Jones will explore the intersection of health, justice, wellbeing, and cities, showing how equitable policies and inclusive urban designs can create healthier, fairer communities. She will discuss strategies and approaches that support wellbeing and opportunity for all residents.

How do urban policies and practices contribute to caring for citizens and promoting a healthier, more equitable quality of life? In what ways can cities promote well-being as a foundation for thriving communities?