Reimagining Urban Spaces: Global voices converge at Smart City Expo Miami

From AI governance to inclusive design, the three-day event brings together 350+ participants from 20+ countries to shape the future of cities.

What does it take to build a city that works for everyone? At Smart City Expo Miami 2025, that question drew more than 350 participants from over 20 countries to Miami Dade College’s AI Lab, where day one of the three-day event showcased a global mix of ideas, technologies, and lessons on how to make cities more connected, equitable, and resilient.

“This is about more than technology,” said Bernardo Scheinkman, founder of Smart Cities Americas and curator of the Expo (pictured above). “We’re here to rethink urban life: citizen-centered cities, designed for accessibility, sustainability, and wellbeing.”

The sixth edition of the Expo, themed RE:IMAGINE URBAN SPACES, underscored Miami’s growing role as a bridge between international innovation and local impact. From Ukraine to Spain to Coral Gables, speakers shared how smart design, AI, and inclusive planning can turn bold visions into better daily life.

Building citizen-centered cities

For Raimundo Rodulfo, CIO of Coral Gables (pictured below), the smart city conversation starts with people, not platforms. “You want the community involved in the ideation stage,” he said, noting how Coral Gables engages residents through citizen advisory boards and its TechTank Incubator, which helps close the region’s tech talent gap.

“An intelligent community is about understanding local needs and cross-pollinating ideas,” Rodulfo added. “If people don’t know these tools exist, the ROI is zero.”

That theme – engage early, design together – echoed through a panel from Port St. Lucie, one of Florida’s fastest-growing cities. Leaders described how resident-driven innovation is reshaping civic planning through “citizen summits,” human-centered design, and even mobile city halls. “Residents are our co-creators,” said Deputy City Manager Kate Parmelee. “We prototype ideas with them.”

Designing for everyone

If cities are to serve all citizens, they must be built for inclusion from the start. “Friction isn’t inevitable, it’s designed,” said Alex Norman, CEO of Miami-based Access Built. His session, From Friction to Freedom, argued that inclusive design benefits everyone, citing “curb cuts” — first intended for wheelchairs, now used by parents, travelers, and cyclists alike.

“When you expand who you design for, you expand what’s possible,” Norman said. “Friction is the tax we pay for bad design. Flow is the dividend we share when design is inclusive.”

Luis Miguel Gallardo, founder of the World Happiness Foundation, took that idea further: “We don’t want smart but unhappy cities. The smartest cities are those that put people’s happiness first.” His call to add wellbeing KPIs to smart city dashboards reframed progress in human – not just economic – terms.

Local talent, global vision

Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega (pictured above) spotlighted the city’s role in workforce development and infrastructure planning. With 125,000 students and 500 faculty undergoing AI training, MDC is betting big on tech skills to power Miami’s growth.

“The only things that can stop the flywheel are talent, transportation, and workforce housing,” she said. “Smart planning means solving for all three.”

That local focus came paired with global insights. From Kyiv’s air raid app, described by Anatolii Vovniuk, to Murcia’s digital twins, shared by Antonio Jara, speakers demonstrated how urban tech can save lives, fight misinformation, and test solutions before they’re built.

“Don’t wait for a crisis to build systems that truly serve people,” Vovniuk asserted.

Smarter tech, smarter governance

While AI dominated many conversations, Chris Lane of Smart AI Connect, an Australian software company, reminded attendees that enthusiasm must be matched by oversight. “Every AI project is a business risk without proper governance,” he warned. His talk highlighted how AI is already shaping traffic, energy, and safety systems, and why responsible frameworks are critical as cities deploy them.

In a different take on sustainability, Naples-based Tyler Wood of Carbotura introduced circular manufacturing, showing how zero-emission plants can turn waste into high-value products — and even pay cities for their trash.t

Recognizing leadership

The conference’s day ended with an awards ceremony celebrating standout achievements in sustainable urbanism:

Book of the Year: The Art of the New Urbanism by Charles C. Bohl and James Dougherty
Tech Innovation: José Antonio Ondiviela, for measurable sustainable outcomes
Regenerative Design: Anne Vanner, British architect
Sustainable Impact – Education: Madeline Pumariega, Miami Dade College
Sustainable Impact – Community Builder: Luis Miguel Gallardo, World Happiness Foundation

Pioneering the future of urban spaces

Beyond the panels, the Expo featured ample networking – a rare mix of mayors, founders, and policymakers exchanging ideas between sessions. Attendees browsed a bookstore filled with smart city titles, from design manifestos to urban analytics handbooks.

Tomorrow’s agenda will go even deeper, with masterclasses on emerging topics, an AI Summit for Mayors, and a press conference offering interview opportunities with leading experts.

As Scheinkman put it, “We’re here to bridge the global and the local, and make cities not just smarter, but better.”

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Riley Kaminer

I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.