Smart Cities Forum

• Why is the digital transformation of cities so important, and what will this bring to the lives of people living in major urban areas?
• How do smart cities benefit society, governments and countries? 
• Where are we on the journey, and what are the future steps for success?

Confirmed Panelists:

• Are there greater expectations now on digital technologies and apps that better monitor assets within buildings, campuses, communities or smart cities?
• How will these make built assets connected and more efficient? What examples exist today and what can we expect in the future?
• Without greater digitalisation, will asset owners and city developers find it more difficult to attract investment? In other words, are digitalisation and clear data insights imperative to attract investors? 

Confirmed Panelists:

• Looking at future community, city and urban development, and shifting design to mixed use
• How will a greater focus on mixed-use developments promote sustainable thinking and approaches to city and community design?
• How do city designers and municipality leaders reduce transport miles for people and goods?

Presented by:

• Currently, the region is lacking the data and local benchmarks to better monitor and check a built assets carbon performance
• Lack of data is one challenge, but what can companies do to push ahead with improved benchmarking
• This presentation looks at how some in the industry are pushing boundaries to improve monitoring and understanding of embodied carbon through the asset lifecycle, and how to successfully measure, monitor and reduce emissions.

Presented by:

• City development is responsible for about 40% of global carbon emissions - more when the entire value chain is considered
• Materials are a huge contribution to direct and indirect emissions - what approaches to materials will reduce these emissions?
• What planning should be in place to ensure materials can be recycled or reused once they need replacing? 

Confirmed Panelists:

• Digital twins are a virtual representation of a physical asset, be that an individual building, cluster of buildings or a whole city
• They are becoming increasingly important in the efficient and sustainable running of an asset, allowing owners and investors to better manage their investment
• To run successfully, there needs to be data transparency, and this panel will look at why this is important, how to encourage that transparency and the benefits that will come from the city-wide digital twins being developed

Confirmed Panelists:

• This case study will look at a successful digital twin, why it was developed and the benefits it is bringing

Presented by:

• It sounds like a buzz word, but companies are investigating how they can move into the metaverse to improve the way they run their business
• Globally, significant sums are already being spent on metaverse real estate, and those sums are forecast to continue to rise
• This panel will investigate how the metaverse is being used by companies and why its influence will grow - ignore it at your peril

Confirmed panelists:

• This discussion will give an updated insight into the evolving retrofit and Esco market, looking at the benefits it can bring
• It will discuss how the sector can work with major infrastructure owners, such as hotels, hospitals, campuses, malls and warehouses, to both aid their individual decarbonisation strategies and contribute towards government net-zero targets
• This will include key opportunities and challenges, along with tangible examples of how different, real retrofits in the region have improved energy efficiency and occupier comfort

Confirmed Panelists:

• For countries to decarbonise, more mass transit and electrification is required, with alternatives such as hydrogen and biofuels used where this is not possible.
• With local travel, options such as rail and metro come to the fore when such strategies are adopted. For longer distances, how do aviation and shipping put in place low carbon operations - strategies of high importance when the major international hubs and trading ports are considered 
• This panel will discuss the strategies and approaches governments are investing in to improve public and mass transport options and encourage their use

15.10 | Case study 1: Low carbon fuels

Presented by:

15.25 | Case study 2: AI for Road Safety & Traffic Management

Presented by:

15.40 | Case study 3: EV charging infrastructure tech - and how to ensure reliability

• Switching to electric or hydrogen private vehicles and trucks has some environmental benefits – but introduces new challenges – however, this does not reduce the number of vehicles on roads
• What can be done to reduce private journeys – and encourage ‘digital’ journeys
• Given that vehicles are still needed, how do governments encourage a switch to cleaner alternatives and what last mile options can be sensibly introduced?

Confirmed panelists: