urban planning

The Orbit is a “vision for a next-generation community”, one that will transform Innisfil, a farming town of 43,000 people in Ontario with a raft of new technologies. “The Orbit is a cutting-edge community where small town and rural lifestyles co-exist with the benefits and attributes of urban living,” the development company said in a statement. The project was “catalysed” by the decision to start construction of a “next-generation transit hub”, GO Metrolinx, which will provide better connections to the likes of Toronto, just 60km away when it opens at some point between 2022 and 2025.

A complex energy programme is being implemented in Békéscsaba, Hungary as part of the Modern Cities Programme. This includes the SMART GRID system, geothermal heat recovery, SMART street lighting, and the development of intelligent traffic control and environmentally friendly public transport systems.

The objectives of the SMART GRID project are:

In 2015, the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region has initiated the Canal Plan in order to achieve a set of objectives in the central part of the city, on both sides of the waterway:

Helsinki metropolitan area published an open data portal showing the solar potential of the area's building on an interactive 3D map.

The data contains the photovoltaic production potential calculated per building, provided that the entire area suitable for solar panels is covered with solar panels. When calculating the annual electricity production potential, it was assumed that the efficiency of the solar panels is 15% and that they have been installed parallel to the roof on flat roofs as well.

Commisionned by Grupo Karim's, and designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti, the first Smart Forest City in Mexico will focus on innovation and environmental quality. The city balances green and built spaces, and is completely food and energy self-sufficient.

An exciting example of tactical urbanism in Hungary is the creation of a "New Boulevard" in Budapest, between the Small and the Great Boulevard (more precisely between Andrássy street and Üllői street, connecting Székely Mihály - Kazinczy - Szentkirályi streets), where, according to the project description, "people like to walk, shop, organise community activities and neighbourhood programmes: a people-centred boulevard, where human encounters and urban recreation are at the forefront, alongside the birdsong."

In Egypt, a huge “New Administrative Capital” is being built, approximately 45km (28 miles) to the east of Cairo, mainly because the already overcrowded capital’s 22-million population is expected to double by 2050. The New Administrative Capital is expected to house embassies, government agencies, the parliament, 30 ministries, a spiralling presidential compound and some 6.5 million people when completed.

The new capital is developed with the strategic vision for a smart city integrating its smart infrastructure to provide many services to citizens:

Taking road space from motorists can be politically risky, but in Milan – one of Europe’s most congested cities – it’s starting to pay off.

In 2018, the municipality launched its Piazze Aperte ‘Open Squares’ initiative, using paint and planters, benches and ping-pong tables to reclaim public space for people to enjoy.

Lahti, with its population of 120,000 inhabitants and located in Southern Finland, is the smallest and northernmost European Green Capital ever. Lahti has worked on environmental issues for decades and is continuously developing as a city with a sustainable future, a pioneer of smart, sustainable solutions.

XZERO is a planned sustainable community that can provide a low-carbon lifestyle for 100,000 residents in balance with nature.