Perspectives from the world’s great cities.

Munich has a high-performing infrastructure and excellent public transit. What stood out during my visit, however, was the coordination of traffic lights: if the speed limit is lowered without adjusting the signal programs, a green wave breaks down into a series of needless stops, costing time, energy and emissions.

Commercial traffic is hit hardest, from service technicians and contractors to package delivery services. Adaptive, AI-supported control could align signal timings with the actual traffic situation in real time and make the traffic light part of a learning urban operating system.

In January 2025, two major wildfires devastated the Los Angeles region. Damage is estimated at more than USD 250 billion, and over 16,000 buildings were destroyed. With the “LA 2.0” rebuilding program, a fundamental question moves center stage: how can urban infrastructure become more resilient to extreme events?

One conceivable approach is an underground sprinkler and hydrant network along the street grid—an “Urban Fire Response Network” positioned at critical points and triggered automatically in acute fire risk through AI-driven sensors and real-time data analytics.

Canada’s largest city combines multicultural diversity with a determined innovation agenda. The MaRS Discovery District is among North America’s leading innovation hubs, while the Quayside project reimagines the waterfront.

Initiatives such as the Open Data Portal and investment in 5G networks and autonomous mobility show how a city can treat data as infrastructure—and thereby lay the foundation for better decisions.

Seattle stands for a culture of innovation and sustainability. The Link light rail, bicycle-friendly streets and the transformation of neighbourhoods such as South Lake Union define the cityscape.

Companies such as Amazon and Microsoft set the benchmark—visible in Amazon’s “The Spheres”, a work environment that brings architecture, nature and employee wellbeing together.

Expo 2025 in Osaka is regarded as a showcase for modern facility management standards. Japanese precision in technology and infrastructure demonstrates what rigorously organized operations can achieve.

At the same time, the country’s exposure to earthquakes makes clear that operating concepts must be designed not only for normal operations but always for extreme events as well.

London’s historically grown infrastructure, with narrow streets and a high density of traffic signals, is reaching its capacity limits.

The city responds with a package of measures: expanding public transit, high-performance cycling infrastructure, intelligent traffic management and the Congestion Charge as a price-based steering instrument.