Smart Cities Round Up - 28 FEBRUARY 2025

Cities and governments worldwide are ramping up efforts to ensure digital access and equity for all, recognising that bridging the digital divide is essential for inclusive, community-centric urban development. From improving online accessibility to leveraging AI and funding digital inclusion programmes, these initiatives align with SmartCitiesWorld’s Technology Innovation for Community-Centric Cities (TICCCITIES) initiative, which highlights how technology implementations must drive meaningful change for communities.

The UK Government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan is a key step in this movement, offering funding to local initiatives that support digitally excluded groups, including low-income households and the elderly. By partnering with the Digital Poverty Alliance , the initiative will also provide laptops and digital skills training, ensuring that communities across the UK have the tools and confidence to participate in an increasingly digital world. Recognising that digital challenges vary by region, the funding will empower local leaders and mayors to create tailored solutions that meet the specific needs of their communities.

In City of Seattle , accessibility is at the core of the city’s latest digital push. The One Seattle Community Communications Strategy is revamping the city’s website and public communications, adopting plain language to make government services easier to understand. This initiative will help residents with disabilities and limited English proficiency better engage with city services, while also preparing Seattle to host visitors from around the world for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

Meanwhile, new research from ThoughtLab has shown that cities are embracing artificial intelligence at scale to enhance services and better support their communities. The recent global study of 250 cities found that 56 per cent of cities are already using AI to modernise operations, and 57 per cent are using the technology to improve citizen wellbeing, with 83 per cent planning further AI adoption in the next three years.

These initiatives to use digital technologies, and bring communities on digital transformation journeys, underscore a larger movement toward technology-driven equity – one that aligns with the TICCCITIES vision of using innovation to create cities that truly serve their communities. As governments and local authorities continue investing in these efforts, the focus remains on ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital age.

Luke Antoniou , Senior editor, SmartCitiesWorld

Here is a round up of our other News this week:

1. Modular solution aims to address UK housing shortage
2. Swedish transit company launches mobile-pay-as-you-go ticketing
3. Free AI training for Euro cities to bolster data-driven climate action
4. Boston shares climate emergency preparations
5. Riga installs traffic monitoring solutions at 26 locations
6. Green light for government digital campus in Manchester
7. Abu Dhabi and Singapore university partner for smart city initiatives
8. Chicago introduces ordinance for green social housing development
9. How the Northeast of England is driving 5G and wireless innovation
10. How cities are powering ahead with artificial intelligence
11. Seattle plain language initiative to improve accessibility
12. Sydney creates first on-street parking bay for shared bikes
13. UK Government launches Digital Inclusion Action Plan
14. Albania partners for nationwide AI-powered smart city project
15. Cities awarded for harnessing data in decision-making
16. Consortium?releases smart lighting control toolkit for buildings
17. Oxford launches pilot project to fund sustainable building projects
18. Public transportation: the challenges and priorities
19. SmartCitiesWorld partners with London Climate Action Week to drive global urban climate action
20. Sonora partners with Foxconn for smart city solutions

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