Expo highlight BMWSB: AI in the smart city – from vision to reality
How the Smart Cities model projects are using AI for climate protection, mobility, citizen dialogue and digital sovereignty – and what other local authorities can learn from them.
Making artificial intelligence visible: Innovative AI use cases demonstrate the potential for AI deployment at the municipal level as good examples. © firefly.adobe.com – generated with AI
In the district of Osnabrück, AI is bringing together intelligent traffic control and sustainable mobility planning by calculating where on-demand buses best complement local transport. It is being developed by URBAN.KI, the German AI initiative for local authorities, which launched the Smart Cities (MPSC) Gelsenkirchen model project with the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences in 2024 to provide local authorities with practical AI solutions.
Other practical examples from the MPSC's federal funding programme also show how local authorities are using AI for sustainable, smart urban planning: Mannheim uses a learning microclimate model with over 500 measuring points to identify urban heat islands and plan targeted measures. As part of the inter-municipal project ‘Connected Urban Twins’ involving the cities of Hamburg, Leipzig and Munich, an AI-supported parking space analysis is being tested in Leipzig, which should make it possible to organise resident parking more efficiently. Jena and the Süderbrarup municipal authority are relying on an AI-based open-source chat system for better communication – both within the administration and in dialogue with citizens. And in Bamberg, drones are collecting data on urban forest stands, which, using neural networks, analyse the condition of the trees and detect damage such as drought stress.
These examples illustrate that AI is particularly effective when it is embedded in municipal processes, designed to be open and offers solutions for real-world applications – from climate protection to citizen participation.
A study published by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) from the MPSC uses further current examples to illustrate how local authorities and federal states are already using AI today. In addition, the study broadens the perspective to include legal and ethical issues and provides recommendations for the use of AI at the local authority level.
The study ‘AI in the Smart City’
ISCN Side Event ‘AI in Urban Planning – A Franco-German Dialogue’ (1 October 2025, 3:00-5:30 p.m.): How can AI help make cities more efficient and sustainable? In this expert session, the International Smart Cities Network (ISCN) will present the results of the first Franco-German exchange on AI in urban development.
Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction (BMWSB)
Berlin, Germany
hub 27, stand 508
Contact: Nicole May
Email: SmartCities@dlr.de
Website: www.smart-city-dialog.de