The Jury granted the City award to the Italian capital for its visionary strategy “Rome: the City is transforming” through which Rome is leveraging data, 5G and digital twins to enhance urban governance, improve public services and build resilience ahead of the 2025 Jubilee. The initiative reflects the Eternal City’s commitment to reimagining itself to meet the evolving needs of its citizens.
This year’s edition gave the special Leadership award in recognition to the continuing efforts to drive urban innovation internationally to Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and former Executive Director of UN‑Habitat from 2018 to 2024.
In the Innovation Award category, two winners were recognized. Together Center (Redmond, USA) was awarded for “Community by Design”, an inclusive human services hub that co-locates over 25 nonprofits and integrates affordable housing to serve 30,000 people annually. Red Dot Foundation (Mumbai, India) was awarded for “Safer Cities – Haryana”, a project using crowdsourced data from survivors of gender-based violence to improve public safety and train police in empathetic response.
The 2025 edition of the World Smart City Awards received over 462 entries from 65 countries
The Project Awards highlighted excellence across six thematic tracks. In Enabling Technologies, Aramco Smart Cities (Saudi Arabia) won for “City Brain: Ahead of Issues”, a GenAI and Digital Twin-powered platform enabling autonomous city operations. In Energy & Environment, the People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality (China) was recognised for its green energy strategy, including 11.43GW of renewable capacity and $210 million in green financing.
The Tomorrow.Mobility award went to Seongnam City (South Korea) for its citizen-centred MaaS (Mobility as a Service) platform integrating autonomous shuttles and drone delivery. In Living & Inclusion, TETO Brasil (São Paulo) won for its “Resilient House” project, offering modular, climate-adaptive housing in vulnerable communities.
In Infrastructure & Buildings, Singapore’s Housing & Development Board was awarded for its smart public housing precincts. Finally, the Kenniscentrum Vlaamse Steden (Belgium) won the Governance award for the “City Deal eInclusion by design” project, a collaborative redesign of 28 public e-services across 14 Flemish cities.
The 2025 edition of the World Smart City Awards received over 462 entries from 65 countries, reflecting the global momentum behind urban innovation. The winning projects exemplify how cities and organisations are embracing technology and collaboration to create more inclusive, sustainable and resilient urban futures.
Leading global urban innovation event
Smart City Expo World Congress, an event on cities and smart urban solutions, is holding its fourteenth edition until November 6 at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue. Under the theme “The Time for Cities,” the event delves into the strategies needed to transform cities into sustainable, efficient, and livable spaces, gathering over 1,100 exhibitors, representatives of 850 cities, and over 600 experts to outline a more ethical urban future together.
Learn more about the event here.
