The second edition of Urban Insights, Smart Cities Council's global publication for city leaders, policymakers, industry professionals and innovators, is now available.
Building on the successful launch of the inaugural edition, the June 2026 edition brings together leading thinkers and practitioners from across the smart cities ecosystem to explore some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities shaping communities around the world.
This month's edition examines a diverse range of topics including human-centric urbanism, artificial intelligence, collaboration between local governments, future mobility, infrastructure resilience, healthspan and the role of trusted governance in an increasingly complex world.
Leading the edition is a reflective Letter from the President by Smart Cities Council President Corey Gray, who explores the intersection of people, place and purpose through lessons drawn from history, bio-urbanism and community wellbeing.
The Featured Insight comes from internationally recognised urbanist Tim Stonor, Managing Director of Space Syntax, who challenges conventional assumptions about Earth Observation Data and argues that some of the most valuable planning intelligence is generated much closer to home through communities, local knowledge and grassroots engagement.
This edition also showcases practical examples of innovation in action.
Kevin McCaffrey, CEO and Founder of Tr3Dent, explores how organisations are grounding Agentic AI to trusted data sources to improve accuracy, compliance and confidence in AI-generated outcomes. Meanwhile, Mark Thomas, Regional Lead – New Zealand for Smart Cities Council, examines how shared capability and collaboration could become the next frontier for local government innovation through the concept of a Smart Collaboration Hub.
Additional contributors include Twyla Jackson of Helixis Technology Corp, who examines emerging risks associated with autonomous AI participation, Malcolm Richards from Lighting Council Australia on the transition to a post-halogen and post-fluorescent lighting environment, and Dr Melissa Grill-Petersen, who argues that Healthspan must become a core metric of future city development.
The edition also features insights from Zigurat's Khaled Daher on why smart mobility is becoming a foundational element of future cities, alongside a member case study from NCS exploring the growing importance of sovereign AI in connected infrastructure environments.
Urban Insights continues to provide a platform for global thought leadership, practical innovation, policy discussion and emerging trends that matter to cities, communities and organizations navigating rapid technological and societal change.
June 2026 Edition Highlights
- Human-centric cities, bio-urbanism and community wellbeing
- Earth Observation Data and the future of urban planning
- Grounded AI and trusted intelligence
- Shared capability and collaboration in local government
- Autonomous AI and governance challenges
- Lighting transition and future-ready infrastructure
- Healthspan as a smart city metric
- Smart mobility and connected communities
- Sovereign AI and digital resilience
Read the June 2026 edition of Urban Insights and discover what city leaders need to know, now.
Organizations and contributors interested in participating in future editions are encouraged to connect with the Smart Cities Council team.
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