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.

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sustainable transportation

Explore smart cities

Creation date: Latest first

Perspective

Green financing

+13

Water financing and partnerships are fundamental to achieve SDGs

Looking ahead to the upcoming COP27 on climate change and the UN Water Midterm Review on Action on Water and Sanitation in 2023, it is needless to say that this year’s World Water Congress and Exhibition in Copenhagen will mark a pivotal time on the way to 2030.

solutions

Smart waste solutions

+1

Saving the University of Idaho $100,000 p.a. in Waste Services

The University of Idaho is a large educational institution that houses over 12,000 students and employees. Innovation and sustainability are core values, including for campus waste services. The waste services team was up against a tight budget, and their team was about to be cut in half, while stil

solutions

Smart cities

+3

Reducing Waste Collection Services by 30% in Israel

With resident numbers on the rise, keeping local areas clean is a growing challenge for waste authorities across Israel. A key issue stems from the fact that municipalities have no idea of how full or empty their bins are. Waste management is based on assumptions and uses fixed collection routes. T

solutions

Smart cities

+3

Eliminating Overflowing Waste in Madrid

The City of Madrid wanted to find citizen-centric and data-oriented solutions to improve the quality of life in its urban areas. With an increasing urban population, the Spanish capital was facing challenges from pollution, traffic congestion, and maintaining efficient public services. The paper and

solutions

Sustainable fuels

+6

How green hydrogen will fuel mobility across Scandinavia

Making green hydrogen production a commercially viable enterprise is undeniably important, but the value chain doesn’t stop there. Distribution and accessibility are equally critical links to realise a future with zero emission mobility. This challenges off-takers of green fuels to think intelligent

solutions

Energy efficiency

+10

Green transition through electrification of the Food Industry

The project Electrification of the food and beverage industry will use 20 concrete cases in selected Danish food companies to illustrate how industrial processes can be converted from fossil fuels to electricity. More than 50 % of the energy consumption in the Danish food and beverage industry is ba

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Meet Danish smart cities professionals

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

Company

Air pollution

+13

Energy Machines

Energy Machines™ is a leader in the design, implementation, and operation of integrated energy systems for buildings. Buildings are a growing climate problem, accounting for over 28% of global CO₂ emi

Company

Climate change adaptation

+7

Copenhagen Atomics

We are driving innovation by building a new energy supply for the world that is scalable and deployable so we can change the current energy mix away from fossil fuels. At Copenhagen Atomics we are

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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.