Global Scans · Cities · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Smart cities are the talk of the town right now and so they should be to cope when over 60% of us will live in cities by 2030. E-bikes, Driverless- connected vehicles, buildings that talk to each other will help but many cities are susceptible to climate change and pandemics. Explore the issues faced by cities and the new ideas that will change the way urban dwellers live in the 21st century.

• [New] 2027-2030 In select US cities and possibly a few European regions, Tesla may deploy early robotaxi-like services under tightly constrained conditions-good weather, defined zones, carefully mapped routes, and robust oversight. TESMAG
• [New] Global Scale Integration: Farms, cities, and foresters will use satellite-driven water management platforms for regional drought response and conservation programs. Farmonaut
• [New] Government-led smart city and national transformation programs, such as Vision 2030, are acting as major catalysts by prioritizing connected infrastructure, intelligent transport systems, and digitally managed public services that rely heavily on M2M connectivity. Precedence Research
• [New] Kansas City will extend its streetcar line 0.7 miles to Berkeley Riverfront Park, while Orange County, California, expects to open its 4-mile streetcar line connecting the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove. Smart Cities Dive
• [New] Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco show elevated risk, while pollution concerns grow in Colorado Springs and Miami. CRE Daily
• [New] Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth due to increasing industrialization and urbanization. Strategic Packaging Insights
• [New] In just one low-lying city, Guangzhou in southern China, estimated losses could top a quarter of a trillion dollars a year without adaptation measures - such as massive flood defences - with an additional 20 centimeters of sea level rise. The Daily Star
• [New] Tesla could launch robotaxis in more than 30 US cities in 2026, with AI and autonomy alone delivering USD 1 trillion in revenue. Gasgoo Auto News
• [New] More edge barriers will be coming to subway platforms throughout New York City. Yahoo News
• [New] Emerging markets offer high growth potential, especially in Asia-Pacific, where rising urbanization, wage growth and nutrition outreach programs converge. ReAnIn
• [New] Etihad Rail's new passenger rail network will connect 11 cities and will start becoming operational this year. MEXC
• [New] Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR from 2026 to 2035 due to rapid industrialization, urbanization, and increasing biofuel adoption. GlobeNewswire
• [New] Half a trillion dollars - that's the potential annual savings when smart cities fully embrace 5G and IoT by 2030. PatentPC
• [New] In just a year or two, over half of all IoT devices in smart cities will be powered by 5G. PatentPC
• [New] Once we have functional, scalable quantum repeaters, quantum networks will move from city-wide deployments to global, end-to-end encryption for financial transactions, healthcare, and national security. Foresight
• [New] Tesla could deploy 1 million Robotaxis across multiple cities by the end of 2035. Tiger Brokers
• [New] Tesla's ride-hailing service is projected to expand to over 30 U.S. cities by 2026. Tradingkey
• [New] Tesla will successfully launch Robotaxis in over 30 cities in 2026 and start to scale volume production of Cybercabs starting the true autonomous era for Musk & Co. he said in a note before the Christmas holiday. AOL
• [New] By 2028, an estimated 40% of mining technical roles will operate through remote control centers located in major cities, fundamentally altering traditional fly-in-fly-out workforce models and enabling access to broader talent pools. Discovery Alert
• [New] The Singapore Smart City Master Plan is a bold and ambitious initiative that has the potential to transform Singapore into a global leader in urban innovation. T.Jis
• [New] In 2026, GCC cities like Doha, Dubai, and Riyadh will continue their push towards smart city development. Travel And Tour World

Last updated: 17 January 2026