As cities face complex security challenges, from escalating crime to escalating extreme weather impacts and aging infrastructure, traditional siloed security approaches can no longer keep pace. This session explores the core capabilities Smart Cities need to strengthen public safety: faster incident response, enhanced situational awareness and seamless inter-agency collaboration. We’ll discuss how municipalities are leveraging advanced video systems, smart sensors and AI-powered analytics to achieve these goals while addressing integration, privacy and operational challenges.

As cities and organizations modernize, the demand for resilient, secure, and scalable infrastructure is greater than ever. This session explores strategies for managing next-generation systems—from cloud and edge computing to advanced networks and data platforms—while ensuring flexibility, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.

Cities today face a growing gap between data collection and actionable insight. Despite massive investments in sensors, cameras, and digital infrastructure, decision-makers are often left navigating outdated tools, siloed systems, and reactive planning cycles. This panel explores how next-generation platforms are bridging that divide—transforming raw feeds into intelligent infrastructure. We’ll showcase how real-time AI and immersive simulation can empower cities to see what’s happening, understand why it matters, and act faster than ever before. From street-level safety risks to multimodal congestion, panelists will demonstrate how live analytics, automated diagnostics, and virtual collaboration spaces are redefining how public agencies plan, respond, and evolve—without requiring new hardware or years of integration. Attendees will hear from innovators delivering citywide visibility, cross-departmental coordination, and predictive tools that adapt to urban dynamics in seconds. Learn how smarter infrastructure unlocks not just data clarity, but strategic foresight—accelerating everything from emergency response to long-term capital planning. Whether you’re a city leader, technologist, or policymaker, this session offers a glimpse into what’s possible when urban systems think—and act—in real time.

Local governments are rethinking how they deliver services, engage residents, and modernize operations in an increasingly digital world. This City Spotlight will showcase leaders who are driving digital transformation in their communities—making government more accessible, responsive, and efficient. From new platforms that simplify resident services to data strategies that improve decision-making, these cities are putting innovation into practice. Attendees will hear candid stories of what’s worked, what’s been challenging, and what’s next, leaving with ideas and inspiration to advance digital transformation in their own communities.

If we could start over, what would we do differently? This provocative panel invites urban leaders to step outside today’s constraints—no legacy systems, no outdated infrastructure, no entrenched policies—and reimagine one core element of city life from scratch. From governance models and transport systems to data infrastructure and climate resilience, each panelist will present a vision for their “rebooted city,” supported by a single visual slide designed using BABLE’s storytelling template. This guided thought experiment blends creativity with realism. Drawing from real-world lessons, the panel will explore the hidden costs of outdated systems, the bold ideas we often sideline, and what cities can still do today—without a clean slate. Facilitated by BABLE, this session channels cross-continental insights into a high-energy format designed to inspire, provoke, and empower.

In national conversations around climate resilience, Arizona often emerges as a symbol of scarcity. Yet the reality is inverted: for more than a century, Arizona has quietly set the standard for proactive water governance. Since before statehood, the state has structured its growth around rigorous water security planning—positioning Arizona today as a national leader in resilient infrastructure. This panel, hosted by The Connective—a regional smart city consortium—showcases three real-world implementations from the City of Phoenix, City of Mesa, and Town of Gilbert. Each city explores emerging technology and data-driven strategies to advance efficiency and adaptability. Together, they demonstrate a pattern of excellence. Rather than suffering under the pressures of climate change, Arizona embodies the crucible of climate leadership. This panel invites attendees to explore breakthrough municipal solutions from the nation's most arid state—and to reconsider what resilience looks like when it’s built into your very foundations.

The City of Calgary, working with partner OrbiWise, have implemented a city-wide LoRaWAN Network for various IoT sensors and devices. A lead use-case is an excessive roadway vehicle noise and street-racing monitoring system based on LoRaWAN-based Noise Monitoring devices supplied by OrbiWise. The City is also exploring other uses for noise and traffic data collected such as roadway improvements, modifying traffic congestion sources & locations, and more. The panel will discuss the collaboration to create this noise monitoring network and how they see the network growing and expanding use-cases.

Local nonprofit and municipal teams often find themselves in a David and Goliath situation. How do stretched yet passionate teams make meaningful progress toward significant community issues, all while navigating shifting external factors? The answer is in creative collaborations. When the Houston Independent School District (HISD) identified a lack of community resources for students, it opened HISD Sunrise Centers, where families could access health care, clothing and a food pantry. But there was still something missing – digital connectivity. Enter Compudopt. Compudopt, a national digital opportunity nonprofit, leveraged its local relationships with HISD, the City of Houston and other nonprofits to provide digital literacy classes and secure resources for a community computer lab that was left unused due to a lack of operational capacity. Compudopt also provided no-cost computers and internet for families through a $1 million grant with HISD. Together, the City of Houston, HISD and Compudopt are closing the digital divide (a phenomenon affecting nearly 14 million households nationwide) in one of the country’s largest metropolises. Representatives will share their partnership process, encourage the audience to evaluate the needs within their organization’s mission, identify creative community partnerships and leverage those relationships to deliver lasting impact.

Sponsored by Atlas Technologies

Opening remarks from Distict of Columbia Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, Nina Albert

Are we tired of hearing about AI yet? Maybe. But the reality that it is here to stay and it is already impacting the public sector in significant ways. IDC data shows that local and state governments are actively using GenAI tools and considering agentic AI for low risk and less complex use cases, but it seems that few are providing true tactical advice on preparing for widespread use and adoption of GenAI and AI agents. Join a team of practitioners - all at different stages of their journey - to have a down to earth, no fluff discussion on how to move ahead responsibly with new AI innovations.

Innovation goes beyond which hardware or technological solution your government wants to implement. The need for alignment between people and policy and a clear path to procurement is paramount to overall success. Join us as we explore government innovation from municipal to federal to international perspectives with civic leaders, business owners, and deep innovators.

As smart cities are becoming smarter, the need to expand the infrastructure becomes more and more important to reach rural areas that will also benefit from the advancements in technology. While AI and IoT are revolutionizing traffic and autonomous vehicles, for rural communities, those use cases don't really hit the mark. Rural communities might be more interested in precision agriculture with robots, or telehealth using AI to help diagnose an illness and private 5G embedded into the landscape of the community infrastructure, providing cellular signal where there isn't a cell tower in sight.

Across the nation the desire for transparent and inclusive communication in government is high. Communities are multi-generational, varying in educational networks, multi-lingual and so on. There aren't one size fits all solutions nor are we able to go back in time to find a new remedy. This panel/session focuses on real solutions rooted in community to increase public participation in government. These solutions combine, traditional means of communication with new methods that incorporate technology. Participants will be provided real life scenarios and partner with others to develop cross-collaborative solutions. Community engagement and communication are at the core of what we do in government. This panel focuses on both of those topics as priority and not components of projects.

This interactive workshop invites participants to share challenges their communities face around workforce training and to explore innovative approaches that break down barriers, expand opportunities, and foster a more inclusive, future-ready workforce.

Mid‑size cities are seeing the promise of generative AI and predictive analytics but without robust data practices, they can’t get past pilots. This panel unpacks how municipal leaders are budgeting for modern data governance, talent, and infrastructure so they can deploy AI that actually improves service outcomes. These cities are where AI can create a desired tangible change and use-cases can be built to push for people centric AI innovation. This panel gathers municipal innovators and an academic guide within the Digital Transformation track to ask one question: how do we build the data muscle that makes AI stick and serve everyone? Panel would build understanding on data‑maturity checklist to surface policy, privacy, and interoperability gaps using a few specific cases. Speakers from partner organization like Gov-Ex, Innovation Experts from Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and Innovation officers from mid‑size municipalities will share their experience of building concrete ROI cases, procurement strategies, and capacity‑building tips that attendees can take home.

In 2021, Cuyahoga County, OH decided to take its energy future into its own hand by forming a new municipal utility -- the first in the US in 75 years. This utility, Cuyahoga Green Energy, is focused on large-scale multi-customer microgrids. Compass Energy Platform, a Los Angeles based company, was procured to help form the Utility, and to develop and finance the Utility's initial microgrid projects. The first project -- a microgrid centered in the industrial zone of Euclid, OH -- is underway, being developed by Compass, designed by Burns Engineering, and financed by DevEngine. Compass is also working with the Utility to develop an innovative "behind the meter" solar co-op for County businesses, non-profits, and government buildings.

This panel will focus on practical and specific lessons learned in community engagement, successes and failures, and the resulting best practices used over the past years by these unique cities.

How can cities and building managers better protect people in shared spaces? In this interactive workshop, participants will explore innovative disinfection strategies, including the use of hydrogen peroxide gas systems, to enhance indoor air quality and safety. Attendees will share challenges, discuss real-world applications, and work together to identify practical approaches for integrating these technologies into smart building strategies that foster healthier, more resilient communities.

Municipal broadband is no longer just about connectivity—it’s the foundation for smarter, more resilient communities. This panel will feature Chesapeake Connects (CCX), the City of Chesapeake’s ambitious initiative to build a municipal fiber backbone and enable transformative Internet of Things (IoT) applications through LoRaWAN technology. Broadband Development Officer Harvey Miller will share how the city is leveraging LoRaWAN for a wide range of smart infrastructure use cases, including commercial and residential water meter automation, storm water retention pond monitoring, bridge opening tracking, railroad crossing detection, flood alerts, and even bridge temperature sensing to improve safety and efficiency. Joining him will be Jim Kilmartin, Director of Business Development for SENET, a Netmore company, who will provide insight into how public-private partnerships make these deployments scalable and sustainable. Together, they’ll highlight lessons learned, funding strategies, and replicable models for other municipalities looking to accelerate their own smart city initiatives using LoRaWAN. Attendees will walk away with a clear understanding of how to move from concept to deployment, how to structure vendor partnerships, and how LoRaWAN fits within a broader smart city ecosystem.

Led by Florida International University (FIU), this panel explores the design of a first-of-its-kind national testing infrastructure to simulate extreme wind, storm surge, and wave events. Panelists will share how NICHE will advance resilient community design, improve disaster preparedness, and shape future building standards and policies.

Cities across the country are piloting new approaches to improve how people and goods move safely and efficiently. In this session, local leaders will share real-world examples of mobility initiatives underway in their communities—from public transit upgrades to emerging technology pilots. Join us to hear what’s working, the lessons learned, and the opportunities ahead in shaping more connected and accessible urban mobility.

Discover how human-centered approaches are improving city programs and services. This panel highlights strategies for designing solutions that address real community needs, increase engagement, and drive measurable impact.

Permitting delays have quietly become one of the most significant bottlenecks in housing, infrastructure, energy, and innovation. In this session, Labrynth.AI Founder & CEO Stuart Lacey leads a forward-looking conversation with civic leaders, technologists, and builders — including Peter Diamandis, founder of the XPRIZE Foundation, and Matthew Fitzpatrick, CEO of Invisible Technologies — to explore how human-in-the-loop AI is redefining regulatory approvals. Panelists will examine how explainable, precedent-driven AI enables faster, fairer decisions while preserving public trust and compliance integrity. Together, they will unpack the practical and policy-level challenges cities face, and share real-world solutions such as legal-style scoring systems, AI compliance infrastructure, and outcome-based incentives. Attendees will walk away with a roadmap to transform permitting from a bureaucratic drag into a competitive accelerator — with lessons from national pilots, global innovation leaders, and high-growth public-private partnerships.

In the era of smart cities, public safety agencies are increasingly leveraging a wealth of data and connected technologies to enhance their operations and better serve their communities. This moderated panel will explore the practical, real-world applications of smart city innovations within the public safety domain.

As cities and regions work towards building smarter, more connected transportation networks, autonomous vehicles are emerging as a powerful tool. They serve, not as a replacement for existing models, but as a complement within a multi-modal model. This panel will explore how AVs can be integrated into public transport systems to fill gaps, connect underserved communities, and create seamless and sustainable mobility options. Bringing together experts from local government, private industry, and planning, the discussion will focus on real-world AV deployments that support walking, rail, bus, and biking networks. Topics will include community engagement, policy frameworks, and the infrastructure needed to support truly integrated systems. Panelists will highlight lessons learned from pilot programs, including how AV can enhance access to jobs, healthcare, and essential services. As funding and federal interest in smart mobility grows, this conversation will help planners, technologists, and civic leaders understand how to leverage AVs as part of a dynamic, people-first innovative transportation ecosystem. Attendees will gain insight into deploying AVs within multi-modal frameworks that prioritize connectivity.

At the April 2025 Smart Cities Connect conference in San Antonio, NIST representatives conducted a “Workshop on Whole Community Preparedness for Smart, Connected Cities, which engaged over 40 members of the SSC Community in defining the requriements, capabilities, and priorities for a comprehensive disaster management and recovery architecture for smart cities. This panel will present the findings of that initial workshop, and update the current project with additional information gleaned from engagement with emergency managers, the disaster research community, and city officials and community leaders. The presentation will address capabilities and Key Performance Indicators for a community-focused decision support system for disaster coordination within the public sector, and will discuss the balance between operational efficiencies in command/control/coordination and civic considerations such as transparency/ access/collaboration and the maintenance of public trust during times of crisis. The presentation will address considerations for developing and integrating artificial intelligence in emergency management and preparedness. The project goal is to enable smart cities and communities to improve overall resilience against contemporary hazards and more capably plan for post-disaster recovery.

The BioHealth Innovation Challenge will seek game-changing proposals to develop and operate a biosciences incubator lab in Las Vegas, awarding up to $10 million to one winner.

This panel will focus on how cities can move past pilots and into full-scale adoption. Hear how you can leverage regional partnerships and public private partnerships to offset funding challenges that often plague cities with being able to scale a technology that truly benefits the public. The panel will share what worked and did not work when trying to scale technology in their own journey and what are the key aspects you must consider when getting to scale.

Public sector leaders are masters of navigating complexity. They stretch limited budgets, respond to evolving community needs, and build trust—often under intense pressure. But even the most resourceful leaders face a new level of uncertainty today. Shifting federal policies, unpredictable funding streams, and emerging technologies like AI are transforming the landscape of civic work. Now more than ever we don’t just need outside the box thinking but bold leadership to step outside the boxes to deliver projects, build trust and move government and civic projects forward! This session invites you into a different kind of conversation. In a “reverse pitch” format, city leaders will share the real, on-the-ground challenges they’re tackling right now—from digital transformation to operational resilience to community trust. Then, it’s your turn. Attendees from across the public and private sectors will jump in with fresh ideas, strategies, and partnership opportunities. If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and co-create bold solutions, this session is for you. Come ready to collaborate and make some magic—or risk missing one of the most dynamic and action-oriented conversations at the conference.

As cities grow more complex and constituents demand more responsive services, government agencies must evolve—often with fewer resources and tighter budgets. This discussion will explore how strategic public-private collaboration can help agencies unlock new capabilities, improve system performance, and deliver better public outcomes without overspending. Maria will provide bureaucracy-navigation advice for urban leaders and lead a nuts-and-bolts exploration on the latest in cutting-edge transportation, environmental protection and construction solutions.

Cities are racing to adopt AI for infrastructure management, but few ask the hard questions: Is our data ready? And can we trust the AI’s output? This session delivers a reality check. Drawing from two real-world studies in wastewater and water infrastructure, we expose the risks of deploying machine learning (ML) and large language models (LLMs) without first auditing data maturity and model reliability. In the City of Sugar Land, TX, five ML models were benchmarked against traditional risk scores for wastewater mains. The result: complex models underperformed when data maturity was low. Meanwhile, a separate audit of LLMs revealed hallucination gaps, instances where AI confidently generated false infrastructure insights when disconnected from local data. These hallucinations emerged while using LLMs as decision-support tools for capital project planning in water utilities.

City leaders share how they are modernizing core operations and infrastructure to improve efficiency, resilience, and service delivery. Panelists will highlight efforts in areas such as emergency management, cybersecurity, and asset management, showcasing strategies that strengthen reliability and sustainability across urban systems.

As cities begin to implement cutting-edge technologies—AI, IoT, and digital infrastructure—many face a major challenge with developing a competent workforce to build and operate the advanced infrastructure. The smartest systems mean little without the right people to build, implement, and maintain them. This panel will explore the real-world challenges city managers face in re-tooling incumbent staff, attracting, developing, and retaining the skilled workforce needed to power smart city transformation. The panel will also discuss future skills education and training opportunities. From public-private partnerships to training existing workforce, we’ll unpack what it really takes to staff for the future.

Current priorities for smart city resilience are being impacted by a range of new and evolving concerns requiring leaders to leverage affordable tools for real-time situational awareness to make quick decisions. From cyber-attacks, disruptions to reliable power and water, social unrest to natural disaster preparation/response, efficient sustainability, and traffic management, citizens and community leaders face new challenges to local safety, health, and security. While threats are increasing at alarming rates, budgets to mitigate risk remain flat or are decreasing. The good news is municipalities are collecting the data needed to enhance citizen awareness in thousands of connected and automated public and government systems. Unfortunately, legacy data integration techniques are often too costly and time-consuming to integrate into one comprehensive platform for community leaders and emergency responders to proactively make effective decisions to safeguard lives and property. Government and industry experts will discuss new, affordable data integration techniques based on emerging AI-powered Digital Twin and Data Mesh technologies to provide smart communities with trusted data and video in real-time to model and simulate scenarios, enhance training, quickly evaluate incidents, and tailor data sources preselected by community leaders to lead response and recovery efforts with reduced impacts and risk to citizens.

This panel brings together smart city leaders we’ve met who are already experimenting with or directly implementing innovations in their own communities. As the idea of a “smart city” continues to evolve, and as leaders grow more aware of residents’ needs and how best to meet them, it’s important to create space for real conversations about what’s working, what isn’t, and what can be learned along the way. Some cities are much further along in this journey than others, while some haven’t yet begun. That reality points to the value of establishing some shared, foundational principles that can benefit everyone. Drawing on their own experiences and their vision for the future of their communities, these leaders will surface insights, best practices, and practical lessons that attendees can take home and put into use right away.

When growth surges and AI-driven data centers demand power around the clock, communities need more than vision. They need horsepower. In Sherman, Texas, Rayburn Electric Cooperative is investing $500 million in a new natural gas plant, adding enough capacity to serve an additional 500,000 homes. The project demonstrates what's possible when a city and a utility work in lockstep to anticipate demand and stay ahead of the curve. Hear from David Naylor, President & CEO, and Mayor Shawn Teamann as they share how municipalities and power providers can partner to strengthen reliability, manage growth, and futureproof their communities.

Language accessibility is a vital but often overlooked element of smart city innovation. In this session, representatives from the City of Chandler, Arizona, and TranslateLive share how their partnership earned a Smart Cities North America Award by transforming how the city serves its diverse community. Chandler implemented TranslateLive’s Instant Language Assistant (ILA) across departments including public safety, libraries, and housing to provide real-time communication with residents who have limited English proficiency or communication challenges. The result: faster service delivery, greater resident engagement, and more equitable access to city resources. Panelists will discuss how the technology was piloted and deployed, its measurable impact, and lessons learned in driving city-wide adoption. Attendees will gain practical insights into making accessibility a pillar of smart city development.

Getting smart city projects off the ground often depends less on the technology itself and more on the process behind how it’s purchased. Traditional procurement can slow down innovation, but cities are finding new ways to streamline, collaborate, and align purchasing with long-term goals. This workshop will explore practical approaches to “smart procurement,” from building stronger partnerships with vendors to creating flexible frameworks that keep pace with rapid change. Participants will walk away with strategies, tools, and examples they can apply right away to make procurement a driver—rather than a barrier—of innovation.

Small businesses are the backbone of local economies, but they often face barriers when it comes to resources, visibility, and support. Cities have a unique opportunity to act as engines of entrepreneurship by fostering ecosystems where small businesses can thrive. This workshop will explore practical strategies for powering small business growth—through policy, partnerships, procurement, and place-based initiatives. Participants will hear from leaders who are building stronger connections between government, entrepreneurs, and the community, and will leave with actionable ideas to spark innovation, expand opportunity, and strengthen the entrepreneurial fabric of their own cities.