Smart in the City – The BABLE Podcast

In this episode of Smart in the City, we sit down with Hashem Alhendawi, Head of the UITP MENA, to discuss the rapid evolution of urban mobility in Dubai and across the broader Middle East and North Africa region. Hashem explains how cities in MENA are transitioning from car-centric designs to integrated, network-based public transport systems. We explore the concrete steps Dubai has taken over the past decade to build a multimodal network that includes the Metro, buses, and marine transport.

Looking ahead to the upcoming UITP Summit 2026 in Dubai, Hashem highlights the practical challenges cities are prioritising, such as financial sustainability, workforce skills, and climate resilience. Join us to learn why the future of Smart Cities relies on reliable operations and connecting people to essential opportunities.

Editor's Note: The 2026 UITP Summit in Dubai has been cancelled due to the evolving situation in the Gulf region. While the event will no longer take place, the strategic insights shared in this interview remain highly relevant to the future of urban mobility.

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And for more insights, visit our BABLE Smart Cities Knowledge Hub

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:01:10) - Teaser question: Can you describe UITP's mission using only three emojis?
(00:03:16) - Guest background
(00:06:04) - UITP Mission And Goals
(00:09:20) - Dubai Summit 2026
(00:13:35) - Dubai's Mobility Shift
(00:18:16) - MENA Mobility Shifts
(00:21:54) - MENA Innovation Opportunities
(00:25:43) - Future Summit Topics
(00:30:09) - World Public Transport Day
(00:31:34) - Segment: Inspire us
(00:33:42) - Ending question: “To you, what is a Smart City?”

Dans cet épisode de Smart in the City, nous nous rendons en région parisienne pour échanger avec Eric Legale, directeur général d'Issy Média. Depuis plus de trois décennies, Issy-les-Moulineaux se positionne à l'avant-garde de la transformation urbaine, ayant lancé son premier site web municipal en 1996 et s'adaptant continuellement aux nouvelles vagues numériques.

Nous explorons dans cet entretien comment la ville crée de la valeur concrète pour ses habitants à travers deux initiatives majeures. Nous discutons également du lancement d'IssyGPT, une IA générative souveraine conçue pour aider les citoyens dans leurs démarches administratives tout en garantissant la confidentialité des données. Notre invité détaille également le « Budget Climat » de la ville, une stratégie inspirée des modèles nordiques qui suit les émissions de carbone avec la même minutie que les dépenses financières, menant à une réduction de 37 % des gaz à effet de serre depuis 2005.

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Want to join us for an episode? Fill out the form on our Podcast Page.

And for more insights, visit our BABLE Smart Cities Knowledge Hub

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:01:40) - Teaser question: si vous deviez décrire Issi-les-Moulineaux en utilisant uniquement trois mots, quels mots vous choisiriez et pourquoi?
(00:02:51) - Parcours de l'invité
(00:05:18) - L'Assistant virtuel Issy-GPT
(00:08:22) - Fiabilité de l'IA
(00:10:30) - Sensibiliser les citoyens
(00:14:58) - Le Budget Climat
(00:21:03) - Données et transition
(00:26:32) - Les projets européens
(00:29:23) - Déployer des expérimentations
(00:35:16) - Collaborer avec la ville
(00:39:19) - Les prochains défis
(00:42:16) - Éducation au numérique
(00:44:33) - Segment: Inspire Us
(00:47:52) - Ending question: “Pour vous, qu'est-ce qu'une Smart City ?”

In this episode of Smart in the City, we travel to the Bavarian city of Aschaffenburg in Germany to explore how a mid-sized municipality is driving digital transformation through a human-centric approach. Petra Schwerdtfeger, Smart City Officer for the City of Aschaffenburg, shares details on the city’s "Dialog City" strategy. This initiative focuses on integrating digital and analogue worlds to ensure technology serves the common good and remains accessible to everyone.

The conversation highlights the successful implementation and replication of the Smart Data Dashboard and the AschaffenBürgerGIS, both built on Open-Source technology. Petra provides insights into the practical benefits of city-to-city collaboration, explaining how Aschaffenburg adapted existing solutions from Münster and Hamburg to save costs and avoid reinventing the wheel. We also examine the realities of municipal decision-making, the importance of data sovereignty, and the challenges posed by limited internal resources when accelerating urban change.

Like our show? Remember to subscribe and rate it!

Want to join us for an episode? Fill out the form on our Podcast Page.

And for more insights, visit our BABLE Smart Cities Knowledge Hub

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:01:57) - Teaser question: If Aschaffenburg were a type of plant, which plant would it be and why?
(00:03:08) - Guest background
(00:04:21) - Aschaffenburg's Dialogue City Strategy
(00:06:16) - Replicating Smart City Dashboards
(00:08:57) - AI and Digital Twins
(00:11:59) - Open Source GIS Implementation
(00:15:25) - Balancing Storytelling and Utility
(00:18:18) - Tech Sales to Municipalities
(00:19:56) - Avoid Reinventing the Wheel
(00:21:43) - Public Sector Staffing Challenges
(00:24:15) - The Smart Start Program
(00:25:30) - Segment: Shout Out
(00:27:32) - Ending question: “To you, what is a Smart City?”

Innovation is not exclusive to dense megacities. In this special episode from our Major Cities of Europe 2025 series, we head to the UK to speak with Kurt Frary, Head of IT and CTO at Norfolk County Council. Kurt shares how Norfolk navigates the unique challenges of a large, mixed rural region to build robust digital foundations.

We discuss practical applications that save real time and money, from an IoT network that automatically manages flooded roads to AI tools that reduce social care documentation from hours to minutes. The conversation also covers the strict "human-in-the-loop" philosophy, tech scepticism, and the importance of data privacy. Tune in to discover how Norfolk is scaling innovation effectively and what public and private sectors can learn from each other.

Like our show? Remember to subscribe and rate it!

Want to join us for an episode? Fill out the form on our Podcast Page.

And for more insights, visit our BABLE Smart Cities Knowledge Hub

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:02:04) - Teaser question: If you had to describe Norfolk county state of innovation with just three emojis, which would they be and why?
(00:02:50) - Guest background
(00:05:22) - Geography of Norfolk County
(00:07:19) - Innovating in Rural Areas
(00:08:52) - IoT Network and Flood Safety
(00:12:48) - Overcoming Innovation Challenges
(00:14:19) - Scaling Up Successful Pilots
(00:15:41) - Designing for User Groups
(00:17:37) - AI Program and Governance
(00:22:44) - Addressing Technology Skepticism
(00:25:13) - Data Privacy and AI
(00:28:24) - Collaboration of Data
(00:32:38) - Working with Private Partners
(00:35:10) - Cyber Security and People
(00:36:50) - Segment: Hot Take of the Day
(00:41:09) - Ending question: “To you, what is a Smart City?”

In dieser Folge von Smart in the City reisen wir nach Luxemburg in die Gemeinde Leudelange. Moderator Alexander Schmidt und Co-Moderator Michael Agostini von Drees & Sommer begrüßen Bürgermeister Lou Linster, um über die Herausforderungen eines einzigartigen demografischen Profils zu sprechen: eine Gemeinde mit 2.800 Einwohner:innen, aber über 10.000 Arbeitsplätzen.

Bürgermeister Linster gibt offene Einblicke in ein kürzlich durchgeführtes lokales Referendum über ein gemeindeweites Tempolimit von 30 km/h. Er spricht über das Ergebnis, die Bedeutung der Bürgerbeteiligung bei radikalen städtischen Veränderungen und wie das Feedback der Öffentlichkeit zukünftige Mobilitätspläne formt. Das Gespräch beleuchtet auch die ambitionierte Investitionsagenda von Leudelange, einschließlich der Umgestaltung des Dorfkerns in einen Shared Space, Strategien für bezahlbaren Wohnraum und die Integration von Geothermie-Systemen. Diese Folge bietet einen praxisnahen Blick darauf, wie kleinere Gemeinden Smart-City-Initiativen vorantreiben und gleichzeitig schnelles Wirtschaftswachstum bewältigen können.

Like our show? Remember to subscribe and rate it!

Want to join us for an episode? Fill out the form on our Podcast Page.

And for more insights, visit our BABLE Smart Cities Knowledge Hub

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Einleitung
(00:02:19) - Hintergrund des Gastes
(00:06:28) - Teaser-Frage: Wenn du eine Superkraft hättest, die dir bei der täglichen Arbeit helfen würde, welche Superkraft würdest du dir dann wünschen?
(00:07:57) - Struktur und Besonderheiten Leudelanges
(00:09:41) - Zukünftiges Wachstum und Stadtplanung
(00:15:09) - Referendum zur Verkehrsberuhigung
(00:24:35) - Lehren aus der Bürgerbeteiligung
(00:33:05) - Radwegenetz und bezahlbarer Wohnraum
(00:46:56) - Segment: Hot Take of the Day
(00:49:16) - Abschlussfrage: „Was ist für dich persönlich eine Smart City?“