Cities From Everywhere Meet in Shanghai to Rethink Urban Growth

This week in Shanghai a big moment in urban‐planning scholarship and practice is underway. The 2025 World Cities Day SDG Cities Global Conference kicked off under the theme “Innovative Development Towards People-Centered Smart Cities.”

Around 400 participants gathered from governments, cities, research institutions and businesses. They’re dealing with questions you face daily: how do we design city systems for people first? What does “smart city” really mean beyond the buzzwords?

What I liked: the emphasis not just on technology, but on people-centredness. In the past a “smart city” might have meant sensors, dashboards, apps. Here the language suggests a shift: design, connectivity, inclusion, equity. For a planner, that’s golden.

Takeaways the conference is wrestling with:

• How to integrate tech without ignoring social infrastructure.
• How to ensure smarter systems don’t widen inequality.
• How to adapt legacy cities, not just build from scratch.

For example: transit networks, public spaces, data platforms, they all matter. But if design ignores everyday access and local voices, you risk creating “smart” but disconnected places.

What can you pull into your work from this? Maybe it’s asking clients/public: “Does this design help you reach what you want in 15 minutes?” Maybe it’s shifting metrics: instead of how many sensors, ask how many more people feel safe walking.

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