Andhra smart city projects to shine at global expo in Barcelona

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh’s growing reputation in smart city and urban innovation will take centre stage at the 14th Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) 2025, scheduled in Barcelona, Spain, from November 4 to 6. The State’s ongoing initiatives in developing four key smart cities, including Visakhapatnam and Tirupati, will be showcased before a global audience.

Principal secretary for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD), S Suresh Kumar, will represent India as a distinguished speaker at the event, focusing on AI-powered smart urban development. He will lead a three-member delegation, including GVMC commissioner Ketan Garg and Tirupati Municipal commissioner Narapureddy Maurya.

Delegates from 850 cities across 130 countries will participate in the congress, which has emerged as the world’s largest platform for sustainable and technology-driven city transformation.

Suresh Kumar, who earlier served as private secretary to then Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, was among the key architects of India’s Smart Cities Mission launched in 2015.

He now leads Andhra Pradesh’s urban transformation agenda, driving reforms in housing, mobility, and infrastructure to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth.

The event organiser Fira Barcelona International, supported by the World Bank and the European Union, commended Andhra Pradesh for its “far-reaching initiatives to deliver world-class urban services and strengthen economic growth through smart governance.”

The congress will also feature government-to-government and business-to-government meetings, enabling Andhra Pradesh to explore global technology partnerships.

The delegation will additionally participate in four co-located events, Tomorrow.Mobility, Tomorrow.Building, Tomorrow.Blue Economy, and the Barcelona Deep Tech Summit, to exchange ideas on next-generation urban solutions.