The Smart City Expo World Congress is an annual event that brings together city leaders, policymakers, industry experts, and entrepreneurs to discuss and explore the future of urban development. The congress is a melting pot of ideas, strategies, and technologies aimed at making cities more sustainable, efficient, and liveable. It provides a unique opportunity for cities to learn from each other, exchange best practices, and forge new partnerships.

The significance of the UK Pavilion

The UK Pavilion at the conference is a testament to the country’s leadership in smart city technologies and sustainable urban development. It serves as a showcase for the UK’s most innovative cities, companies, and projects. This year, Redbridge was among the key participants, highlighting its role as a leader in implementing smart solutions and sustainable practices.

Redbridge’s contributions to smart city solutions

Our Redbridge presence at the UK Pavilion was marked by a series of presentations, and discussions that highlighted the borough’s achievements and future plans. I had the opportunity to speak and emphasised the importance of a collaborative approach across London’s  boroughs, despite the challenges of physical boundaries and achieving pan-London agreements.

One of the key Redbridge stories I highlighted, was a story from Redbridge was a social housing project funded by the GLA (Greater London Authority), which focused on addressing damp and mould issues using low intrusive technology. This project involved keeping residents informed and allowing them to decide whether to implement the technology in their homes.

In terms of support needed, I highlighted the importance of ethical and inclusive deployment of technology, balancing the need to monitor assets and environmental conditions without infringing on human rights.

For the next steps, there is a real need for a regulatory environment that protects data and avoids leading the UK into a ‘Big Brother’ scenario. This involves working with organisations like LOTI and techUK, and collaborating with the private sector to innovate around the citizen.

Focusing on human-centred smart city design

I had the opportunity to be part of a panel session on designing a human-centred smart city, amongst  representatives from three other UK cities: Birmingham, Belfast, and Newcastle. Representing the London perspective, I emphasised the importance of collaborative approach across the London boroughs and discussed a social housing project aimed at addressing damp and mould issues. Birmingham, represented by Iain Mansell, focused on the need for inclusive innovation due to its diverse population and highlighted the challenges of participation and engagement. L Adrian Johnston from Belfast highlighted the city’s unique challenges related to inequalities and the legacy of conflict, and discussed the STRYVE programme and the importance of inclusive partnerships. Newcastle, represented by Sally Herbert, focused on fostering inclusive innovation through physical and digital connectivity, and highlighted projects like the Helix Innovation District and the Ouseburn Way project. Each city shared their unique approaches and challenges in supporting people-centred, technology-enabled, sustainable, creative, and inclusive innovation.

Forging new partnerships and collaborations

A key takeaway from Redbridge’s participation in the congress was the importance of partnerships and collaborations. We are actively seeking to collaborate with other cities, technology companies, research institutions, and community organisations to drive forward our smart city agenda. These partnerships are crucial for sharing knowledge, resources, and best practices, and for scaling up successful initiatives.

Redbridge’s smart city vision for the future

Redbridge’s participation in the Smart City Expo World Congress was not only about showcasing our current achievements but also about sharing our vision for the future. We have ambitions to attract further funding and investment in smart technologies and sustainable growth, with a focus on areas such as:

• Expanding the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices to collect and analyse data for better decision-making.
• Developing smart infrastructure projects that integrate technology with urban planning.
• Enhancing public services through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
• Encouraging civic participation and fostering a culture of innovation among residents.
• Enhancing connectivity to support sustainable practices and drive economic growth whilst attracting significant investment by creating a more attractive environment for businesses and investors alike.