Smart City Expo 2026 Accelerates Urban Solutions for Real Impact
Smart City Expo 2026: Shaping the Future of Urban Solutions
The Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), renowned as a leading international event for smart cities and urban solutions, is set to take place from November 3 to 5, 2026, in Barcelona. This year's congress is poised to attract 1,000 cities, over 25,000 attendees, more than 1,000 exhibitors, and 600 speakers, all converging under the theme: Urban Solutions, Real Impact.
The focus of this year's event will strongly revolve around housing, recognizing it as one of the most pressing challenges facing cities globally. Attendees can expect to see technologies that are not only innovative but designed to bring about tangible and scalable impacts on urban living.
The congress program is structured around seven thematic pillars:
1. Enabling Technologies
2. Energy and Environment
3. Mobility
4. Governance and Economy
5. Housing and Inclusion
6. Infrastructure and Construction
7. Blue Economy
These themes reflect key areas in urban transformation, including digitalization, artificial intelligence, green energy, governance, and social equity.
Notable speakers will include Nikolas Badminton, Chief Futurist and leader of the Futurist.com expert group, who will share insights on future urban landscapes. Badminton specializes in aiding organizations to enhance their strategic foresight capabilities and navigate emerging trends that will shape urban environments.
Additionally, Ayumi Moore Aoki, founder of Women in Tech Global, will emphasize the critical role of diversity and inclusion in driving innovation within urban contexts. Aoki's discourse will highlight how inclusive leadership can pave the way for sustainable urban development on a grand scale. Other esteemed participants include Bibiana Aido from UN Women, Bilel Jamoussi from ITU, and Chiara Corazza from the Women's Economic Forum.
An exciting addition to this year's event is the inaugural HOWS Barcelona summit, which will center on topics such as urban planning, housing policy, and the prospects for social and affordable housing. This will spark discussions on establishing a new residential paradigm.
The exhibition space will showcase prominent global firms like Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Dell Technologies, and Deutsche Telekom IoT, alongside country and city pavilions. A special show titled **