Global Scans · Cities · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Smart cities are the talk of the town right now and so they should be to cope when over 60% of us will live in cities by 2030. E-bikes, Driverless- connected vehicles, buildings that talk to each other will help but many cities are susceptible to climate change and pandemics. Explore the issues faced by cities and the new ideas that will change the way urban dwellers live in the 21st century.

• [New] Humanoids will work autonomously, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOLs) will undergo city tests, AI will shift to multimodal memory agents, and schools will beta-test 20-foot standoff weapon-detection systems in 2026. Interesting Engineering
• [New] Over two dozen US cities have decriminalized psilocybin, raising the likelihood that patients will seek psilocybin outside of formal medical systems. Pharmacy Times
• [New] By 2026, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other major cities will begin to see air taxi services taking off. Travel And Tour World
• [New] By 2026, cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, and Washington D.C. will see robotaxi services expand dramatically. Travel And Tour World
• [New] Waymo and Tesla are planning to bring their driverless taxis to a dizzying number of new cities in 2026, with both confirming plans to launch robotaxi operations in Miami, Dallas, and Houston. Business Insider
• [New] Archer is building vertiport networks in major US cities and targets commercial service in 2026. Veritas Electronics Kenya
• [New] By using GIS models, authorities can simulate flood paths, temperature gradients, and soil erosion to mitigate risks and help Indian cities build resilience. Mapex
• [New] CrossCountry Trains, which serve routes from Birmingham New Street to cities like Manchester Piccadilly and Milton Keynes Central, will be heavily impacted by cancellations due to signaling failures and staff shortages. Travel And Tour World
• [New] Sydney is yet another wake-up call for Jerusalem: antisemitism is not only a threat to innocent Jews in the major Australian city, but also an existential threat to the State of Israel. The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com
• [New] In New York City, New Jersey, and New England, a winter weather advisory has been issued for millions of residents, with snow accumulations expected to reach 4 to 8 inches in parts of Maine and New Hampshire. Travel And Tour World
• [New] New York City begins FY 2026 facing unprecedented risks to Federal funding flowing through its budget and going to its public hospitals, public housing, subways and transit systems, nonprofits, and people. Office of the New York City Comptroller Mark Levine
• [New] Cities like Berlin and Munich are expected to implement pilot projects that include air taxis as part of smart city transportation. Precedence Research
• [New] A Presidential Executive Order has directed the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration to allow mature eVTOL aircraft to begin operations in select cities as early as 2026, even before full certification is completed. Carbon Credits
• [New] Within the next 3-5 years, urban air taxis will operate commercially in multiple cities worldwide. Veritas Electronics Kenya
• [New] The investment bank anticipates a major robotaxi breakout in the U.S., projecting that approximately 33 cities could launch commercial autonomous services in 2026. FinancialContent
• [New] The projects launching and completing over 2026 will demonstrate whether smart city technologies can deliver on their promises of improved efficiency, sustainability, and quality of life. / USA CCE l ONLINE NEWS
• [New] Denver's smart city evolution centers on Pena Station NEXT, a transit-oriented, mixed-use development expected to be completed in 2026. CCE l ONLINE NEWS
• [New] As China scales low-altitude economic infrastructure across thousands of cities and rural areas, the operational model of centralized tracking and control will be exported alongside Chinese-manufactured drones and eVTOLs. Low Altitude Economy
• [New] Cities with heavy traffic and long travel times, such as Los Angeles, New York, or San Francisco, will soon see air taxis provide an efficient and time-saving alternative to ground transportation. Travel And Tour World
• [New] Expanding next-generation connectivity and ICT infrastructure (projected to reach AED 192 billion in 2025) creates significant opportunities in smart cities, utilities, logistics, real-time monitoring, and IoT-based service platforms. LOGIC Consulting - A Leading MENA Consulting Firm
• There will be one million Robotaxis on the road across multiple cities, a major jump and a considerable fleet size. TESLARATI

Last updated: 03 January 2026