Femi Oke

Welcome to the Smart City Expo World Congress! This first session of the event aims to welcome the audience to the SCEWC with an opening speech by the event directors Ugo Valenti and Maria Tsavachidis. It will also count on the participation of high-level representatives who will address how cities are working to transform, innovate, and create to live, move & build better.

Decades of government and philanthropic policies have facilitated economically stagnant zones where people measure their success by how far they get away. This talent-extraction paradigm makes them far more vulnerable to real estate speculation and displacement, and removes individuals with spending power, day to day examples of success, and the investment and financial acumen needed to build local economies.

In a world of ever-evolving technology, we tend to look for the next big thing to transform our urban environments. But is it really about the latest tech, or do we just need a more holistic approach when it comes to the smart and green city of the future? Join Mr. Sascha Pallenberg as he takes us on a journey to Taipei, where they’ve created a smart, green city that citizens love living in, showing that a sustainable future is within our reach.

Smart City Expo is an ongoing conversation, with different editions taking place in different cities around the world throughout the year. The ideas, conversations, meetings and business opportunities happening in Barcelona this week will continue and expand with abroad editions that will take root in their own local contexts. Thanks to the various partners who commit to being part of the global SCE movement, our impact on the progress of cities and the quality of urban life is deepening every year, as more and more editions become members of this growing family of events. This session will bring together representatives from the editions that will take place in the coming year to learn from their expectations and results of hosting the event in their cities, and how their own Smart City Expo edition can support their most impactful projects these cities are pursuing.

Integration of smart technologies in urban infrastructure, like smart grids and transportation systems, alongside AI-driven optimization, enhances city operations' efficiency and sustainability. Utilizing city data via digital twins identifies areas for improvement, while shared data (e.g., satellite maps, and smart sensors) optimizes traffic and mobility. In addition, the keynote also sheds light on smart cities efforts and achievements in Saudi Arabia.

This session will feature the participation of our global partners National Information Center - Saudi Arabia

‘SMR Smart Net Zero City’ is a city that achieves sustainable development and carbon neutrality by utilizing SMR (Small Modular Reactors) and renewable energy. SMRs and renewable energy supply systems can provide all the energy required by a city, including electricity, heat, and hydrogen, at an economical price. This system not only contributes to economic growth and job creation but also helps the city achieve carbon neutrality.

This session will feature the participation of our global partners KHNP

In this talk, Ruha Benjamin takes us into the liberating power of the imagination. Deadly systems all emerged from the human imagination, and have real-world, often deadly impacts. To fight harmful systems and create a world in which everyone can thrive, we will have to imagine things differently. Drawing on work that critically examines “smart” technologies that perpetuate inequities and engaging with grassroots approaches to community building, she offers a pragmatic and poetic approach to worldbuilding that invites each of us to consider the role we play in maintaining or transforming the oppressive status quo.

When it comes to climate change and environmental impact, will Artificial Intelligence solve more problems than it creates? AI's huge energy and water requirements have caused some of the biggest technology companies in the world to miss their climate targets, a problem that will likely only worsen in the near to medium term. Yet AI is also helping to improve productivity, identify efficiencies, and support innovation, all of which we need to achieve our net zero targets. This talk considers current efforts to make AI more sustainable and what this challenge means for smart cities.