The Smart City Trap: Why Residents of Saudi Arabia’s “The Line” are Starting to Complain
The desert around Tabuk remains silent around morning. But the silence isn’t peaceful—it’s heavy, interrupted only by the distant whirl of machinery. This is where Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious urban experiment, The Line, is happening.
Originally envisioned as a 170-kilometer stretch of high-density futuristic living, The Line was touted as a clean, car-free utopia with a five-minute walk to everything. But lately, that promise has starting to feel like a mirage. Complaints are rising—from workers, residents, and planners. Not all of them loud, but most of them urgent.
The Rise of Smart Infrastructure in India: IoT, AI, and Urban Tech Trends
India’s cities are at a turning point. With rapid urbanization, growing populations, Urban Tech and increasing pressure on resources, traditional infrastructure is no longer sufficient to support modern urban living. To meet these challenges, India is embracing smart infrastructure, a blend of technology, innovation, and sustainable design aimed at improving the quality of life and optimizing urban systems.
The integration of Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and other digital technologies is transforming how cities are built, managed, and experienced. From intelligent traffic systems to energy-efficient buildings, smart infrastructure is redefining India’s path toward becoming a digitally empowered economy.
Adaptive AI traffic control improves emergency access without gridlock
Artificial intelligence, if carefully designed, could significantly reduce emergency vehicle delays in congested cities without worsening traffic for other road users, according to a new study published in the journal "Automation".
The research Inclusive and Adaptive Traffic Management for Smart Cities: A Framework Combining Emergency Response and Machine Learning Optimization proposes an AI-driven traffic control system that integrates reinforcement learning with emergency prioritization and governance safeguards, aiming to reduce emergency vehicle delays without destabilizing overall traffic conditions.
NG: Expert advocates smart urbanism for safer communities
The Dean, Faculty of Environmental Studies, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Dr Kola Lawal, has stressed the need to leverage on technology and proper planning to reduce urban insecurity.
Lawal said this while delivering a paper titled ‘Smart Urbanism for Safer Communities’ at the investiture ceremony of TPL Olusola Odukoya and other executive members of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Ogun State Chapter, that only effective policy-making would address this challenge.
€4 million still up for grabs as Luxembourg launches second project call
Luxembourg’s government is urging more municipalities to apply for “Smart City” grants, with €4 million in funding still available after the first selection round saw 15 communes submit proposals.
15 municipalities responded to the first national “Smart City” project call launched in June 2025. A second application window remains open until 15 March 2026, with €4 million in funding still available to support Luxembourg’s communes in their green and digital transitions toward more efficient resource management.