Green Cities
Smart Cities, Green Futures: How Artificial Intelligence is Powering Urban Sustainability
July 16, 2025
Artificial intelligence often gets a bad rap when it comes to the climate conversation— its enormous energy demands, water-intensive data centers, and growing greenhouse gas emissions spark growing alarm. But this AI appreciation day, let’s flip the narrative. AI technologies also hold tremendous potential in helping us transition toward a more sustainable future, and one particularly exciting solution is AI-driven urban planning.
With over half of the global population living in cities, and environmental pressures mounting, urban centers are having to adapt rapidly and creatively. Around the world, cities are quietly utilizing AI to improve infrastructure, optimize resources and design more efficient, livable environments. The result? Greener, smarter cities that are more well adept to future climate change.
Singapore and Barcelona are two cities leading the way in AI-driven urban design. By integrating AI into core systems, like traffic flow, energy consumption and waste management, these cities are proving how effective green technology can be for urban growth and sustainability.
Singapore: AI at the Heart of Urban Innovation
Singapore, one of the world’s smartest cities, is emerging as a leader in using AI to shape urban development. The city’s Urban Development Authority is using data analytics and geospatial technologies to gain insights into how public spaces and amenities are used. Additionally, AI is being applied to manage infrastructure, improve accessibility, and optimize land use in space-constrained Singapore.
Beyond urban design, AI is also transforming the city’s energy sector to enhance sustainability and overall efficiency. AI technology is being utilized in energy generation, storage, and consumption to save both resources and time. In the renewable energy space, it plays a key role in predicting energy demands and optimizing the performance of technologies such as solar panels and wind turbines.
As part of Singapore’s smart city initiative, the government has released an AI-driven traffic management system that uses real-time data to monitor traffic flow, predict congestion patterns, and adjust traffic signals accordingly. This solution not only improves travel efficiency, but also reduces emissions by minimizing stop-and-go traffic. Since the new system’s implementation, peak-hour delays have decreased by 20%, while average rush-hour speeds have improved by 15%.
Singapore is also leveraging AI to transform its roads by enhancing public transport systems. AI technologies are being used to improve predictive maintenance for buses, detect blind spots for safer driving, and monitor train conditions in real time. These innovations have contributed to a 25% increase in public transport ridership and a 15% decrease in waiting times. Remarkably, despite this increase in ridership, emissions have still decreased by 10%— a result of AI-optimized travel routes and schedules.
The integration of AI across Singapore’s traffic management and public transport has led to a 15% reduction in citywide emissions, contributing significantly to cleaner air quality. The economic benefits are equally impressive, with AI-optimized systems projected to save the city $1 billion annually. These figures underscore how AI is truly transforming the city to become more sustainable, smart, and economically efficient.
Barcelona: AI for People, Place, and Participation
Barcelona is a city known for its beautiful architecture, vibrant culture, and rich history. Less well known, however, is that the city has incorporated AI technology into many of the unique systems it relies on. Barcelona uses AI not just to optimize operations, but also to empower citizens and make urban development more inclusive.
One of the city’s most innovative uses of AI is its development of a Local Digital Twin– a virtual replica of Barcelona.The model began with maps and satellite imagery to recreate the city’s physical layout, and has since evolved to incorporate more complex systems, making it hyper-realistic and intricate. The Digital Twin simulates complex urban systems, such as air pollution, noise, traffic, and human movement, allowing planners to predict how changes in one area might affect another.
This system has completely revolutionized the way Barcelona is monitored, developed, and future-proofed. It allows the city to assess compliance with the ‘15-minute city’ model– where daily needs are accessible within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. With these insights, the Local Twin has improved public transport efficiency, evaluated amenities access and guided more equitable, safe, and efficient development.
Barcelona is also using AI to empower and connect its people. The Barcelona City Council released a revitalized, AI-powered employment platform, which attracted over 73,000 people in 2024 alone. The website features an AI assistant which matches employers to potential workers based on their skills and interests, and delivers a tailored and sophisticated service for varying professional needs.
A final highlight of Barcelona’s AI use is its application in waste management. By combining AI and IoT-enabled sensors, the city has improved waste collection through GPS-equipped vehicles and smart bins— streamlining operations and reducing overall waste.
Equity, Ethics, and the Limits of AI
Cities like Singapore and Barcelona prove the vast potential of AI in urban planning— from boosting efficiency to enhancing citizen engagement. Yet AI doesn’t come without drawbacks for people, the planet, and public trust.
For one, AI systems rely on large amounts of data, raising concerns on data privacy and the security of sensitive information. Technologies like facial recognition, used to monitor public spaces, risk violating privacy and freedom rights, especially when data is misused or misinterpreted. Urban planners address this through de-identification and anonymization, yet this solution isn’t perfect.
Another rising concern is algorithmic biases, which arise from skewed datasets, gaps in data, and assumptions in algorithms. When certain groups are underrepresented, due to factors like low survey participation, AI solutions may reinforce inequality and result in urban development which fails to reflect the needs of a city’s diverse population.
Given these challenges, it’s clear that there is a need for transparent, community-driven AI governance structures to ensure that AI technologies support ethical urban planning. Urban planners must continue to engage diverse stakeholders, build public trust, and develop ethical frameworks to guide equitable and responsible urban development.
Looking Forward
As cities become more populated and climate pressures intensify, use of AI in urban planning becomes increasingly important. Although the risks are real, the potential for transformative urban development must be harnessed to meet the needs of cities. If ethical considerations are made and the right people are involved, we can build smarter, greener, more resilient cities to better serve future generations.
This AI appreciation day, EARTHDAY.ORG is recognizing not just the power of AI, but the responsibility that comes with it. Cities like Singapore and Barcelona show us what’s possible when AI is used thoughtfully– to build more sustainable, livable urban environments.
To learn how you can support climate-forward innovation and help shape a cleaner, smarter planet, visit EARTHDAY.ORG and get involved with the Our Power, Our Planet initiative. The future of our cities, and our planet, depend on the decisions we make today.
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