Smart Cities Council has released the November 2026 edition of Urban Insights, a special Smart City Expo World Congress Barcelona edition exploring how leadership, investment, knowledge and technology can deliver better outcomes for people and places.
As the global smart cities community gathers in Barcelona, this edition brings together fresh contributions and selected reflections from earlier issues, connecting big-picture thinking with the practical challenges of urban transformation.
At its heart is a shared question: how do we turn smart city ambition into meaningful community outcomes?
Returning from June, Smart Cities Council Chair and President Corey Gray explores the relationships between people, nature, technology and place in English Potatoes & Croatian Cabbages. Alongside this, Professor Tim Stonor, Managing Director of Space Syntax, revisits the value of “home-grown” planning intelligence, examining how local knowledge and community-led data can complement Earth Observation Data to support more inclusive urban planning.
Resilience and delivery are also central themes. ZIGURAT explores how connected city management can bring climate adaptation, digital intelligence and community participation together. Philip Ward, Director of Ward Advisory Group, examines why successful smart city delivery begins with an educated client, clear requirements and leadership capable of coordinating complex urban systems.
In Innovation in Practice, the edition explores how Smart Cities Council and SpHHere are connecting capital strategy, business development and deep-tech acceleration to help promising ventures navigate investment and commercialisation.
The focus on people continues with a returning contribution from Dr Melissa Grill-Petersen, who asks whether cities can truly be intelligent without understanding how well their communities are thriving. Her article considers healthspan, human capacity and wellbeing as meaningful measures of urban progress.
Members also share approaches to connected community delivery. AVVISTA highlights the relationship between water conservation, energy savings and decarbonisation, while new member Innovriq introduces its foresight-led approach to connecting technology, data, infrastructure and services.
Readers can also explore learning opportunities through the SCC Education Hub and get an early look at the Smart Urban Readiness Assessment (SURA), currently in development to help organisations understand their readiness and identify priorities for action.
Together, these contributions offer perspectives for government, industry and community leaders working to build smarter, more resilient and liveable places.
Read the November special edition of Urban Insights and share it with your colleagues and networks.
To contribute a project, case study or thought leadership article to a future edition, contact Karen Norden.
About Smart Cities Council
Smart Cities Council is a global network of cities, governments, technology leaders, investors, and solution providers dedicated to enabling city and community transformation through governance, finance, technology, and partnerships that deliver measurable outcomes.
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