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] By 2050 the number of megacities will grow to 37, with Dhaka becoming the world's most populous city, at an estimated 52.1 million residents. Federal Statistical Office
• [New] A European Innovation Council session on innovative procurement will illustrate how pre-commercial and innovation procurement can help cities test, adopt and deploy European solutions more rapidly. Regional and Urban policy
• [New] New York City will be prepared to send out notifications in 14 different languages to its 1.5 million public warning subscribers, as well as international visitors on the Everbridge app and WhatsApp channels. Yahoo Sports
• [New] Most American cities could resemble Phoenix in that way in under a decade. WCIV
• [New] Driven by rapid urbanization, ASEAN could face up to 120 days per year with temperatures above 35 °C by 2050, posing significant risks to human health, energy security, economic productivity, and climate resilience. ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE)
• [New] Asia-Pacific will remain the engine of global infrastructure activity, accounting for more than half of total investment through 2050, propelled by urbanization, industrial expansion and rapid build out of power and digital networks. PwC
• [New] As mobility networks modernise and cities grow, annual transport spending will rise from US$ 1.4 trillion in 2024 to US$ 2.4 trillion in 2050, representing a cumulative total of US$ 50 trillion. PwC
• [New] ANZ Research forecasts Brisbane to grow 9.7% in 2026, one of the strongest performances of any capital city - but growth is expected to moderate significantly to 1.4% in 2027 as affordability constraints bite. Property Update
• [New] Japan's industrial power and rapid urbanization will help to facilitate innovations in small yet efficient DEWs. Dimension Market Research
• [New] Expansion of Smart City Projects: The UAE's commitment to developing smart cities presents a significant opportunity for AI integration in construction. Yahoo Finance
• [New] The UAE AI Construction Project Management Market offers opportunities in smart city project expansion, enhancing urban infrastructure and sustainability with government backing. Yahoo Finance
• [New] Not only does the MOLIT aim to demonstrate the potential of AI to transform city management systems, but it also showcases how South Korea's AI-based urban technologies actually work. Coingeek
• [New] Cao Cao Mobility (Geely subsidiary) is targeting 100,000 robotaxis in major Chinese cities by 2030. SoftwareSeni
• [New] East Coast cities are at high or very high risk of extreme flood damage based on current scenarios, with New York and New Orleans facing some of the greatest dangers, a new study finds. Live Science
• [New] Fastest-growing Region: Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow fastest, driven by accelerating urbanization metrics, expanding middle-class purchasing power, and proactive government health initiatives. Persistence Market Research
• [New] AB 2074 will accelerate the recovery of dense, urban neighborhoods in California's largest cities by streamlining the construction of high-rise, residential developments near regional transit hubs. California YIMBY
• [New] Next-generation PropTech platforms will incorporate real-time city data, transportation patterns, and environmental monitoring to optimize building performance dynamically. BUSINESS 2.0 NEWS
• [New] Initial air taxi routes in London will focus on high-demand corridors such as Heathrow Airport to Central London (24 km, 12 min); London City Airport to Canary Wharf (5 km, 4 min). eVTOL.Travel
• [New] South Korea will demonstrate its tech prowess under an initiative that will see it utilize artificial intelligence - based smart city technologies to support six metropolises in Southeast Asia in tackling urban problems that have been plaguing administrations for decades. Coingeek
• [New] Over in the Philippines, the city of Bacoor will be the testbed for an AI-based smart traffic management platform, which aims to analyze traffic conditions in real-time and implement signal optimization. Coingeek

Last updated: 02 May 2026