- 68% of the world’s population is projected to live in urban areas by 2050, according to the UN, a significant increase from the 56% who did in 2020, but the rates and success with which cities are incorporating digital technologies into their fabrics vary substantially.
- Significant challenges remain in the deployment of smart cities, including existing issues already embedded in urban areas, which could impede or be exacerbated by the greater use of tech, and external obstacles to the roll-out of digital solutions, such as regulatory or funding constraints.
- 75% of EU citizens currently live in cities, according to data from the World Bank, and the contributions of these urban areas to overall greenhouse gas emissions are high, meaning that improving their sustainability and energy efficiency will be crucial to ensuring that national and EU climate targets are met.
Cities look to a greener, digitalised future but key obstacles remain
