AI infrastructure is being repurposed to provide real-time ecological data – and changing the structure of urban environmental management.
Hangzhou has become one of China’s most active test sites for integrating artificial intelligence into public administration. The city, home to West Lake and the tech giant Alibaba, now ranks among China’s top innovation hubs and attracts significant AI investment and talent. In the nearby Xixi Wetlands, conference halls sit beside canals and protected reed beds. When Alibaba built its global headquarter there, the company promoted the site as proof that rapid technological growth could coexist with ecological harmony.
Weiterlesen: How China’s Smart City AI Is Moving Into Environmental Control
China has established 2027 and 2035 as crucial milestones to reshape its urban landscapes into more efficient, livable and economically vibrant hubs.
The recently released action plan to deepen smart city development and advance citywide digital transformation is a detailed roadmap for harnessing data to revolutionize urban management, services and economic growth.
Weiterlesen: CN: Action Plan for Smart City Digital Transformation
Anacláudia Rossbach, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the UN-Habitat, praised Chongqing's progress in building a sustainable urban future at the opening of the 2025 World Cities Day China Observance on October 28 in Chongqing, calling its use of digital technology to improve housing, governance, infrastructure, and public services inspiring.
Rossbach said that Chongqing's experience offers valuable lessons for megacities worldwide in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda, which promote inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban development through smart planning, better infrastructure, and people-centered services.
Hong Kong’s commitment to advancing smart transformation continues to gain international recognition, with the city ranked eighth in the Polytechnic University’s 2025 Smart City Index among 73 global cities. The study evaluates the progress of urban innovation across six dimensions: citizens, environment, social landscape, economy, infrastructure and governance.
The index highlights Hong Kong’s strong performance in governance, particularly in the formulation and implementation of smart city policies and plans. The city also ranks first globally in e-government development, underscoring its focus on using technology to enhance public administration and citizen engagement.
Weiterlesen: CN: Hong Kong: Digital Governance Strengthens Smart City Standing
As urbanization accelerates globally, the experience of resilient and innovative cities like Chongqing in southwest China is becoming increasingly relevant, offering valuable insights for urban development globally, according to international experts and policymakers.
The 2025 World Cities Day China Observance, themed "People-Centered Smart Cities Toward the Future," is taking place in Chongqing from Monday to Thursday. Approximately 1,200 guests from China and around the world are participating in the event, with many international representatives praising China's use of digital and intelligent technologies to drive urban development.
Weiterlesen: China's smart city innovations win global praise