Realizing Smart Cities: Enhancing Urban Life & Sustainability

Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions (MEIDS) will attend the 2024 Smart City Conference in Bari, Italy on November 13-14. The conference aims to promote debate and discussion around the sustainable development of urban areas along the Mediterranean. In preparation for our attendance, the organizers asked us to write a brief article presenting MEIDS' perspective on the following topics:

• Vision of a smart city.
• Explanation about how our company fits into the ongoing process of change for smart cities.
• A weakness and a strength of Italian smart city projects.
• Advice for an Italian city mayor.

As MEIDS’ Global Industry Marketing Manager for Smart Buildings, I was asked to address these points. You can read my insights below.

Smart cities worldwide leverage automation and digitalization technology to enhance operations infrastructure, urban planning and development, transportation and mobility, public safety and emergency response, and more. Examples of this technology can include energy management that optimizes energy consumption and carbon emissions across a city as well as public transit and traffic and water management. While advanced cities like Singapore excel in their “Smart Nation Vision” thus scoring high on the Smart City Index, many others are just beginning to implement the infrastructure needed to support sustainable growth and improved quality of life for their residents.

Regardless of where these cities are on their digital transformation journey, most smart cities share common goals: carbon neutrality and sustainability, resilient infrastructure, a circular economy, and improved quality of life. Traditionally, urban areas are characterized by high degrees of population density and large construction projects to support commercial buildings, modern amenities, and transportation. However, with expanding population pressures, limited resources, and the growing impact of climate change, green spaces and green buildings are becoming more critical than ever. This is increasingly urgent given that the United Nations projects that 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050.

Why Smart Cities Matter for City Leaders

For cities to thrive as smart cities, diverse systems—ranging from energy grids and buildings operations to transportation and waste management—must be connected at scale and operate harmoniously. Effective data collection and analysis enable these systems to share intelligence, fostering a secure, interoperable environment. As outlined in a recent Deloitte Smart City report, smart city digital maturity begins with data aggregation, connecting silos, and embedding under-utilized data into services and operations. Once cities master these fundamentals, they can advance to more sophisticated digital outcomes, retooling and remodeling business processes to shift from simply “doing digital” to truly “becoming digital”. Having the right technology, like our automation software, is essential for successfully completing this step.

MEIDS offers cloud-based automation and IoT solutions that empower city authorities, building owners, and other stakeholders to intelligently manage critical infrastructure and processes that keep cities running. According to Sam Walton, Global Industry Marketing Manager for Smart Buildings at MEIDS, “Buildings contribute about 30-40% of total city carbon emissions, and to meet COP21 targets, these emissions must be 80-90% lower by 2050. Cities comprise countless unique buildings—be it hospitals, airports, malls, office complexes—all contributing in different ways. At Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions, we make both new and existing buildings more user-centered and sustainable in order to adapt to new challenges and ways of operating.”

Technology for Smart Cities

Solutions like GENESIS and IBSS (Intelligent Buildings Software Stack) are key to realizing smart cities. These tools focus on enhancing energy efficiency, optimizing building management, supporting public transit and infrastructure resilience, and ensuring occupants are at the heart of the digital process. As Sam notes, “Cities are living, breathing entities with their own DNA—a combination of culture, community, and environment. Financial centers like London and eco-leaders like Copenhagen face unique challenges that shape their identities. Our tools support cities in preserving their distinctive qualities while evolving sustainably, helping each one to optimize its resources and thrive.”

A Path Forward for Italian Mayors

For Italy, there are several municipalities that are still processing the worth of smart cities; however, to counter this, Italy’s National Resilience and Recovery Plan (NRRP) is investing substantially in realizing smart cities beginning with developing a “culture of innovation” to educate the different stakeholders involved.

Like Copenhagen, which set out to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025 by giving birth to Copenhagen 2025 Climate Plan (CPH 2025), cities need to identify key use cases and foster an open, secure environment where technology investments can collaborate with businesses, academics, and citizens. This means bringing together various stakeholders to build a cohesive, connected urban experience. With the right governance, risk reduction, operational sustainability, and innovation, successful smart cities can enhance urban life for everyone involved thereby creating a better community for today and for future generations.

Collaboration and Connectivity: A Vision for Italian Smart Cities

To implement smart technology effectively, city stakeholders—ranging from utility operators to telecommunications providers—need to work together to enhance connectivity and build a truly intelligent city ecosystem. This collective effort will foster an urban environment that supports sustainable growth, enriches community life, and advances the well-being of all residents.

Contact our experts to learn more about how MEIDS realizes smart cities and smart buildings.