How Amsterdam transformed a traffic-choked street into a people-friendly zone

A 16-year-old in Brazil just built an AI tool that maps urban heat islands and pinpoints where interventions like green roofs or reforestation will have the greatest cooling impact. By combining satellite data with machine learning, EcoAção Brasil offers a scalable, evidence-based approach to climate mitigation through smarter urban planning. It’s a reminder that AI isn’t just scaling enterprise workflows; it’s enabling climate resilience from the ground up.

I'm way behind, but my journey into Week 2 of “Data Fundamentals for Sustainable Mobility” was definitely my favorite (so far). It made me rethink how city life is actually shaped, not by abstract theory, but by the little observations we gather when we stop and notice how people move in our cities. One thing stood out: Data is no longer just a box to tick. It’s the foundation real transport planners reach for when mapping out vibrant, livable cities. We unpacked how SUMPs rely on genuine, ground-level evidence to steer the growth of urban spaces, especially where chaos reigns and resources are scarce. GTFS? At first, I thought it was just one more acronym to add to the growing pile. However, it has been quietly reshaping how we all catch a ride, from Google Maps to Moovit. Seeing how cities lean on the GTFS standard to unravel transit puzzles made me realize that open data is more than code. It gives commuters and planners a little more predictability in their day. Origin-Destination data was another eye-opener. Tracking journeys feels personal when you weigh up the reasons people venture out: a job, a loaf of bread, a bit of joy. Learning how cities combine hands-on surveys with digital footprints brought home just how complex, and yet how human, urban movement is. Then came transport modelling, asking the question: “What happens if we actually try this?”. Suddenly, planning was less theory and more simulation, blending demographics, everyday routines, and what-if scenarios. It made it feel less like guesswork and more like storytelling, with each dataset speaking up for someone in the city. Week 2 reminded me that progress in our cities depends on pulling together every fragment of mobility, from the personal, digital, and collective, and seeing where it leads. The future isn’t static; it’s mapped one journey at a time. #UrbanMobility #CityStories #TransportPlanning #TUMI

Curious about how cities can truly collaborate with data, without complex or expensive solutions? Find out during our workshop at the Valencia Digital Summit (VDS) in Spain. Here, we will present the first user-friendly and functional online solution for the European Dataspace: the Open Urban Platform (OUP). VDS is one of Europe's most influential tech events. For two days (October 22 & 23), Valencia will transform into an international hotspot where startups, influential companies, and international investors will meet. It's the ideal place to share knowledge, start new collaborations, and shape the future of digital cities. During this conference, we will give a workshop in which we will show how the OUP makes collaboration between cities, companies, and developers easier. The platform offers an accessible and affordable way to securely share and apply data, enabling cities to move faster towards data-driven decision-making. 📍 Workshop: Open Urban Platform – For Smart Citizen Centric Cities 🗓️ Wednesday, October 22 | 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Innovation Stage With: 👤 Albert Engels – Senior Process Manager, City of Rotterdam 👤 Rick Klooster – CTO, Future Insight 🎤 Bas Boorsma – Moderator, Urban Innovators Global Collaboration is essential to harness the power of data in Europe, but its complexity has held cities back until now. European data spaces offer enormous potential, but most solutions remain too technical and too expensive. This panel discusses how Open Urban Platform is changing that with an accessible, affordable approach for smarter, citizen-centric cities. Because the challenge lies not in the technology, but in collaboration. In this session, you will discover: ✅ How the OUP came about ✅ The basic principles that guarantee a secure platform. ✅ How commercial parties can get involved 👉 Don't miss it if you are working on Citiverse solutions, data spaces, or urban innovation. 🔗 More info & registration: https://vds.tech/

Slow down motorists with proper urban design: "In many countries...speed limits are considered merely a suggestion, meaning that legal changes won’t usher in cultural ones... Street configuration, by contrast, can change behavior in more palatable ways. Urbanists have long intuited that design can moderate traffic speed. With the first large-scale, cross-city uses of AI, those insights can be quantified and generalized across different contexts." https://lnkd.in/gCdWns4H

"The intelligence to create a sustainable city is first human and then technological, not vice versa." Today, I was having a walk on my academic memory lane, and I came across the epigraph that I quoted in my dissertation. This quote, written by Professor Dr. Carlos Leite in 2012, remains true over a decade later. I have been researching and working on the concept of #smartcity and its technologies for 10 years now. The foundation I built during my architecture and urbanism degree, solidified in my master's degree in Urban Engineering combined with real-world experience, is what gives me the ability to see through the fog of the "smart city" industry and discourse. Shiny marketing pitches, "I can resolve most of your city problems with this solution" approaches. It holds much resemblance to the "not-so-new" #AI boom, doesn’t it? If you focus exclusively on the technology and throw under the rug all the urban complexities, pitching that your "all-powerful tech" will resolve everything, it's not only misleading, it's harmful to communities across the world. 📣 Call to action: Technology providers: ✅ Let's acknowledge the limitations of our technologies and partner with other companies that have complementary solutions. ✅ Let's dive deeper into each community we want to serve and optimize cities with our technologies where they are needed. City leaders: ✅ Bring the community to the table. They are your "end-customer" ✅ Include your city staff when selecting a new technology; their hands-on experience is extremely valuable. ✅ Watch out for things like "Our AI-based solution will solve your problem". Ask how, ask what's behind the curtain, dive deep. The industry is full of empty promises. ✅ Create a baseline using both existing and new information, and define your priorities based on what makes the most sense for your needs. ✅ Consider the implications of #privacy and how technology will impact your community. ✅ Ask your counterparts in other cities and states to share the lessons learned, the challenges, and the impact that each technology has had in their city. Exchange information! Communities grow sustainably when the steps taken for their development are well-thought-out and underpinned by strong multi-stakeholder support. At the same time, let's be open to #innovation. Experimentation has yielded many excellent examples and can serve as beacons to inform long-term policies and investments. Finally, let's keep it simple. Assess your own readiness level before embarking on a far-fetched project, as it may not have the impact you expect. P.S.: Essay written without any aid from AI technology.

How is AI reshaping urban planning? “These technologies transform complicated planning documents and issues into clear language and ideas. They illustrate potential futures” - Sarah Williams, LCAU faculty director. Learn how AI is already making an impact and where it’s headed: https://lnkd.in/e8D-y_hi

“Five years ago, Urban AI in Planning started as a small conversation — today, it’s a growing community reimagining how technology can make our cities more equitable, resilient, and human-centered.” Excited to join colleagues at #ACSP2025 for the 5th Annual Urban AI in Planning Roundtable — a space where planning scholars, spatial data scientists, and AI researchers come together to shape the future of smart and just cities. #UrbanAI #GeoAI #UrbanPlanning #DigitalTwins #AIForGood #ACSP2025 #UrbanDataScience #SmartCities #PlanningInnovation

Cities are turning to tall wooden buildings as a greener way to build homes ✅ Relevant to: urban planners, architects, construction firms 🌍 Observed in: United States 🌐 Source(s): The Boston Globe 👤 Led by: city of Cambridge and local housing developers 🏷 Related to: sustainable construction, affordable housing, urban design 🗂️ Categories: Environment & Resources – Sustainability & Climate | Business & Economy – Real Estate & Smart Cities 🔎 Detected by: Hidden Data Lab’s AI-driven trend detection platform – built on real data, 3,000 patterns, and a global focus. A new housing project proposed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is showing how cities can build higher and more sustainably at the same time. As reported by The Boston Globe, the 12-story affordable housing development would be made almost entirely from laminated timber, a material known as mass timber. Unlike steel and concrete, mass timber stores carbon instead of producing it, making it a cleaner choice for construction. Advances in design and fire safety now allow taller wooden buildings to meet modern standards, helping cities reduce emissions while adding much-needed housing. Cambridge’s updated zoning rules, which allow greater building height near transit areas, are giving this idea more room to grow. If successful, this approach could serve as a model for other urban areas looking to combine climate-friendly building methods with affordable housing goals. In short, this trend shows how climate policy, design innovation, and urban planning are coming together to shape the next generation of sustainable housing. --- Stay ahead with knowledge that turns change into opportunity. Discover more emerging trends at hiddendatalab.com. 1. Artificial intelligence is changing how legal teams work, but success depends on... 2. Researchers are working on one of the most ambitious projects in modern science... 3. China’s Ming Yang Smart Energy Group is investing about two billion dollars to... 4. A new housing project proposed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is showing how cities... 5. China is quietly becoming a key supporter of Africa’s Great Green Wall... 6. Hyperliquid Labs has introduced a new upgrade called HIP-3 that makes it... 7. OpenAI has announced plans to build one of the largest AI... 8. A growing number of entrepreneurs are learning to build real app prototypes... 9. ... #timberarchitecture #lowcarbonhousing #sustainablecities #urbaninnovation #cleanconstruction #futureofbuilding #ecodesign #greendevelopment #netzerobuildings #renewablematerials #smarturbanplanning #environmentaldesign #modernarchitecture #constructioninnovation #sustainabilitytrends #housinginnovation #climateaction #urbanregeneration #greenfuture #designforchange

Two new e-learning tools from the The Circular City Centre – C3 are now available to support cities in their circular transition..  The first tool is based on the C3 guidance documents “The 15 circular steps for cities” and “A guide for developing a circular city strategy,”. It offers practical support for municipalities beginning or accelerating their circular transition and is designed for urban planners, sustainability officers, city administrators and policymakers. Users of the tool wil get a strong foundation for better understanding circular options and opportunities and embedding circular economy principles in urban development.    The second tool is designed to disseminate key insights and knowledge from A Guide for Circularity in the Urban Built Environment guidance document. This guide highlights how cities can progress in their circular transition in the built environment, from establishing an enabling framework to implementing circular solutions. The main goal of the tool is to empower users, including city administrators, urban planners, policymakers, environmental officers, and sustainability professionals working in municipalities and municipal companies across the European Union. to implement and advocate for circular economy principles and practices in their urban built environments. Both tools can be accessed here: https://lnkd.in/eaAaxx7z A certificate is provided upon completion of the tools.