A new study on Shenzhen shows that smart city technologies, like IoT-enabled grids, AI traffic systems, sponge city designs, and vertical greening, delivered big gains in energy efficiency, emissions cuts, and urban resilience. But inequities, high costs, and data privacy risks mean that without inclusive governance, the benefits risk favoring elites over vulnerable communities.
Shenzhen, China's most celebrated "model smart city," has become the stage for a striking experiment in digital sustainability, with researchers from the School of New Media Art and Design at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics examining how advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping urban planning. Their new study, published in Sustainable Futures (2025), offers a sweeping account of Shenzhen's push to integrate smart technologies into everyday city management between 2020 and 2023. The results are impressive, demonstrating energy savings, cleaner air, and stronger flood resilience. Yet the researchers also find troubling inequities and governance gaps that temper the success story, highlighting the dangers of a purely technocratic approach to sustainability.
Weiterlesen: CN: From IoT to Green Roofs: Shenzhen’s Smart City Success and the Unequal Future
In the new wave of smart city construction, Chongqing Design Group grandly launched its independently developed 'Lingji Smart City' large model on September 6. The release of this product marks an important step forward in the integration of technology and practical application in the governance of megacities. As a result of eight years of research and development, 'Lingji Smart City' aims to address the complex demands and pain points encountered in urban management through AI algorithms and data annotation technology.
In today's rapidly advancing urbanization process, cities are expanding in scale, and infrastructure is becoming increasingly complex. The traditional manual inspection model is facing numerous challenges such as inefficiency, high costs, significant safety risks, and a singular data dimension. How to efficiently, accurately, and safely manage the vast urban systems has become a pressing challenge for urban managers. The integration of drone technology with cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and 5G is giving rise to a brand new solution—the Smart City Drone Inspection Platform. It is akin to equipping cities with a "heavenly eye," redefining the models and boundaries of urban management.
In the city skyline, a group of special "city guardians" is protecting the operation of the city from a unique perspective. They are not birds, but drones equipped with advanced sensors, forming an aerial inspection network that quietly transforms urban management and operations. The emergence of the smart city drone inspection platform signifies that urban governance has entered a new intelligent era.
This innovative urban management tool integrates cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and big data analysis to build a three-dimensional, intelligent, and real-time urban perception system. It not only enhances the efficiency of urban management but also redefines the precision and dimensions of urban operations and maintenance, providing strong technical support for smart city construction.
In the wave of smart city construction, Shenzhen Smart City Technology Development Group Co., Ltd. and Shenzhen Smart City Communication Co., Ltd. have jointly obtained an important patent titled "A Data Transmission Method Based on Smart City Digital Twin Models." The approval of this patent marks another innovative breakthrough for these two companies in the field of smart city technology and provides new technical support for future urban management and services.