Smart cities

As the pace of urbanisation quickens, cities face immense challenges related to waste management, mobility, climate adaptation and energy. However, as their political, economic, and technological power grows, cities can harness this trend to act as leaders in the green transition and drivers of the green economy. Cities need smart solutions to ensure that they are optimised for sustainable economic activity, energy consumption, and an improved environmental impact.

As of 2008, around 50% of the world’s population lived in cities. By 2040, this number is expected to rise to 65%. Each week, approx. 1.3 million people move into cities.

65 %

It is estimated that smart cities can generate 20 trillion U.S. dollars in economic benefits by 2026.

20,000,000,000,000 $

In the European Union, the digitization of services has reduced operating costs for 85% of cities.

85 %

Related facts

Featured content

Integrating an intelligent and holistic approach to city planning and transportation management to create more sustainable cities

Our cities are growing and so are the challenges to make them liveable. It is estimated that 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050. This increase in urbanisation demands an intelligent, holistic and integrated approach to city planning and transportation management in order to meet the societal challenges faced by cities all over the world.

Read the news

sustainable transportation

Explore smart cities

Creation date: Latest first

News

Sustainable fuels

+6

Denmark unveils plan to make aviation sustainable

24 September 2022

In reaching its net zero target by 2050, the Danish Government introduces new plan to ensure a 100% green flight route by 2025 and that all domestic aviation will be green by 2030. The transition will be financed by imposing a flat passenger fee of 13 DKK (1.7 EUR).

News

Water management

+12

Politics and practice connect around water as a key to act on climate change

13 September 2022

The IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition in Copenhagen hosted on 12 September a high-level summit connecting leading figures from the water sector with government and city representatives from more than 70 countries. As the largest IWA Congress to date, politicians and practitioners from all over the world discussed water as a key to deliver on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals.

News

Water management

+13

Next Generation Water Action makes waves ahead of the IWA World Water Congress

9 September 2022

Water challenges take generations to solve. While we have a lot of good water solutions available today, the solutions of tomorrow will be better. In this spirit, the next generation of water professionals showcased their innovations ahead of the official congress at the Next Generation Water Action Tech Bazar & Reception in Copenhagen.

News

Circular business models

+9

Countdown to 2030: A new era for public-private partnerships

7 September 2022

How can public-private partnerships enable a more resilient and green economy, and what needs to be done utilizing stakeholders and across borders to accelerate climate action? Join our event on 20 September when leaders from business and government highlight the importance of public-private climate action.

News

Sustainable fuels

+11

From billions to trillions: Mobilising trillions of dollars for the green transition

7 September 2022

With a look into the future where large amounts of fossil fuels will continue to be extracted, it has only become even more important to mobilize the necessary funds and financing for the green transition, while ensuring that the right funds are linked to the right green projects. Join our high-level event on 20 September when leaders from business and government take a close look at international partnerships and collective efforts to enable the necessary conditions for green investments.

solutions

Groundwater management

+3

Nye: a new water-smart, climate adaptive suburb

7 September 2022

Invisible to the naked eye, groundwater – the water found underground in soil, sand, and rocks – constitutes 99 % of the world’s freshwater. Groundwater is a key source of drinking water, supplying approximately 49 % of the world’s population. It is also used heavily for irrigation purposes and crop

Show 1266 more

Meet Danish smart cities professionals

Company

Living labs

+13

BABLE Smart Cities

BABLE provides business and technology services for smart city green solutions. We create automated services that simplify and offer expert advice to guide transition, development and scaling. Our onl

Utility

Non-revenue water

+15

3VAND

3VAND is your utility partner when discovering Danish water solutions. We are owners, users, frontrunners, and initiators in the development of state-of-the-art solutions within wastewater treatment a

Company

Bio-based circular solutions

+34

Viegand Maagøe

We co-create the green transition. The transition relies on a combination of technologies, financing, people, and communications. This is why we are experts in advising about these topics.

Company

Energy efficiency

+5

frient

frient offers high-quality smart home devices that can reduce electricity consumption, enable home automation, and protect the users' homes and families. The frient devices are available for installer

Company

Smart cities

+4

PRIESS SOLAR A/S

Priess Solar A/S is a company in the field of intelligent, solar cell-based lighting for public spaces.

Public Sector

Urban planning and development

+3

Middelfart Municipality

Middelfart Municipality (MM) on the island of Fyn has worked with climate actions since 2007. The municipality is one of the first in Denmark to hold a Climate Action Plan together with a political ag

Company

Buildings

+4

ADEPT

ADEPT focus on urban development and building architecture with an aim to push users, clients, profession and the world around us towards a deeper responsibility for the limited global resources. We d

Company

Energy storage

+1

Danish Center for Energy Storage (DaCES)

Danish Center for Energy Storage, DaCES, is a partnership that covers the entire value chain from research and innovation to industry and export in the field of energy storage and conversion. The a

Show all partners

Explore related focus areas

Air pollution

With urbanisation set to increase, air pollution will affect even more people in the future if no action is taken. Through strict environmental legislation and air quality monitoring, Denmark has reduced atmospheric pollution in most areas to less than one-fifth of the levels during the late 70s.

Climate change adaptation

Expanding mitigation to include adaptation in dealing with climate change, enables a holistic view that can combat previous negative social, environmental, and economic impacts and result in both climate resilient and more liveable places to live. Over the next 15-20 years, Denmark will spend more than EUR 5 billion on adapting its cities to climate changes.

District energy

Put simply, district energy is about moving energy in water, with a valuable temperature, from a place of production to the place of consumption. Denmark’s district heating system is highly energy efficient and has been one of the key drivers for reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions from the energy sector.

Green buildings

With urbanisation, demographic changes, and climate change, our cities and their buildings are facing immense challenges. Creative and innovative thinking can lead us towards a more sustainable approach to designing, creating, and using the buildings that form the basis for our everyday lives, to the benefit of both our planet and the people that populate our urban centres. Ensuring that new buildings are sustainable and energy-efficient will be key to our efforts to tackle climate change.

Smart cities

As the pace of urbanisation quickens, cities face immense challenges related to waste management, mobility, climate adaptation and energy. However, as their political, economic, and technological power grows, cities can harness this trend to act as leaders in the green transition and drivers of the green economy. Cities need smart solutions to ensure that they are optimised for sustainable economic activity, energy consumption, and an improved environmental impact.

Urban mobility

Cities must be built for people to be sustainable, healthy, and liveable. Targeted policy-making with urban mobility in mind is a strong reinforcement of these objectives. The key is to acknowledge the importance of city space and city life as an attractive, informal, and democratic meeting place for the city residents.

Urban waste management

Urban waste management entails the entire system of collecting, sorting, treating, utilising and ultimately disposing of waste. When properly facilitated it can provide a source of energy and resources, while significantly reducing pollution.

Urban water management

Cities around the world increasingly face pressure from both growing populations and climate change, challenging urban water supply in terms of available resources and in terms of treatment of increased wastewater volumes. An integrated approach to urban water management can ensure cost efficiency and synergies. E.g., wastewater treatment can provide the city with energy and nature-based solutions can delay or store rainwater for later use.