The development of smart cities is multi-layered and multidisciplinary, comparable to a huge jigsaw of interlocking, dynamic parts. Artificial intelligence is one of the key technologies which contributes to building these structures, offering insight and optimisation, while smoothing out complexity. Researchers from the UK's Alan Turing Institute (ATI) recently presented...

Employers who would like to encourage their workforces to work in the office more frequently are considering creative ways of enticing them back to the office. One solution to consider in attracting hybrid workers back is to shift to smaller, greener premises. What could this trend mean for the future...

Individual buildings can contribute to the digital, sustainable and green 'smartness' of a smart city, but this requires collaboration – indeed, this is a third essential element that drives the smartness of the urban environment. Flexibility in the way the building is constructed and used drives the extent to that...

There are a range of ways in which individual buildings can contribute to the "smartness" – whether digital, sustainable or collaborative – of their wider urban environment and generate benefits for the wider community. Turning this potential into reality in the built environment depends heavily on planning policy and decision-making...

A smart city is a combination of the physical buildings and infrastructure that make it up, plus the management and operational systems that manage and monitor it. But we define "smart" as more than being connected and digitally enabled. A smart city is also collaborative and sustainable, aiming to deliver...

Three papers were published. This article focuses on the paper on "Shaping Europe's Digital Future ", which sets out the overarching goals of the strategy (and also provides further insight into the Commission's 2020 work programme). In addition, the Commission went into greater detail about two particular areas in the...

The way in which property is bought and sold has been transformed, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. As we look to the future, proptech will play a central role in driving further transformations. We will see significant changes in how we live in the future over the coming years, much...

According to a 2022 report from the Environmental Audit Committee, the built environment is currently responsible for 25% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions can be broken down into two main categories: operational carbon and embodied carbon. Operational carbon refers to the emissions generated across the operational lifetime...

In February 2022, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed that 84% of workers who began to work from home during the pandemic said they planned to follow a hybrid working pattern in future. Hybrid working is here to stay, but what does this mean for a company’s ability to...