Automating the design of urban environments via digital twinning software, moving from sustainable to circular economies and integrating micro-mobility or Mobility 2.0 into the transport mix are among the "strategy shifts" cities need to make, according to ABI Research. The analyst company also warns that a shift from "safe and secure cities" to "resilient cities" and a rethinking of the urban environment through smart spaces will be required. In its new whitepaper, 5 Ways Smart Cities Are Getting Smarter, ABI Research highlights that while smart city tech investments will reach over $61 billion globally in 2026, most of the expenditure will be for incremental improvements. "It is an illusion to believe that adding just a shallow layer of IoT (Internet of Things) technology to legacy urban environments will allow cities to address the urban challenges of the future, ranging from the provision of sustainable energy to the adoption of smart mobility and the construction of resilient cities," says Dominique Bonte, vice president at ABI Research. As they prepare to face new threats such as cyber-attacks and climate change, Bonte said this "new reality" requires new approaches, leveraging a range of new technologies to create true strategy shifts.

New technologies and approaches spur five key smart cities strategy shifts. It's time for smart cities to embrace new technologies and approaches to combat a growing list of challenges, states global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research. Cities have faced challenges like congestion, pollution, and safety for decades, and most have a plan to combat them. While they continue to face these traditional issues, new threats such as cyberattacks, climate change, and other emerging problems are mounting. "This new reality requires new approaches, leveraging a range of new technologies to create true strategy shifts," says Dominique Bonte, Vice President at ABI Research.

You can be forgiven if your first reaction to hearing the term "smart cities" is an eye roll. Sure, we have smart diapers, smart toothbrushes and smart faucets, but cities? How is that even possible? While the word is a bit amorphous, there's no question that smart cities are a thing and an important one at that. Cities are the locus of much of the world's population and economic activity. By 2050, a full 66 percent of the world is expected to reside in one, according to the United Nations.

TRUCKERS are about to get some company on long drives. A wristband that monitors vital signs will keep tabs on alertness, stress levels and overall health, helping fleet managers operate their teams more effectively. Most trucking firms use fleet management systems to reduce costs. They provide detailed information about how vehicles are driven, including braking intensity and fuel consumption, as well as operating conditions, such as weather patterns and traffic. "But they know nothing about the driver," says Jean Gelissen at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.