Technology and innovation

The URBED perspective:

Advancing innovation and technology are core to developing smarter urbanisation and more effective Smart Cities. Integrated intelligent transport systems, such as urban transit upgrades and digital tools like GIS, enable better connectivity and resource management. These approaches foster more sustainable, efficient, and adaptable urban environments by leveraging data and innovation to optimise infrastructure and improve residents’ quality of life.

Smarter Urbanisation and Rapid Growth HFA

March 2022June 2025

Cities need to change direction fast, if we are to satisfy our needs and retain social values. As the world tips towards the East, and to ‘mega cities’ of more than 10 million inhabitants, countries such as the UK need to offer better models for how to manage growth. The young and the poor feel squeezed out of the residential property markets. But we all complain of congestion, pollution and stress, despite the promised benefits of the Digital Revolution. What is to be done?

Smart Cities

April 2020June 2025

A contract from a major Chinese housing developer, following on from visits to exemplary projects in England, reviewed the meaning and application of ‘smart growth’ principles to urban development. A presentation was given in Hangzhou, and the reports draw on case studies of seven cities that are in the forefront of the digital economy.