Dan Dimitriu (Detecon) on the next era of urban living: cognitive cities
While much of today’s attention in urban living focuses on smart cities, the next frontier in intelligent urban design and liveability lies in cognitive cities. To explore what this concept means, we spoke with Dan Dimitriu, Principal at Detecon and an expert in AI and cognitive cities.
To start with: what is a cognitive city?
A cognitive city uses real-time data and artificial intelligence to understand, predict, and adapt to how the city functions. Unlike smart cities that mainly monitor systems, cognitive cities continuously learn and make informed decisions to improve services, resilience, and quality of life.
What’s the one thing most people get wrong about cognitive cities?
Many people think cognitive cities are just “smarter smart cities” with more sensors, dashboards, and data. But a cognitive city goes much further. It doesn’t just observe what’s happening it understands it. It recognizes patterns, anticipates needs, and coordinates responses across mobility, energy, health, and public services.
A cognitive city isn’t defined by technology alone. It’s defined by its ability to improve quality of life, enhance resilience, and make services more adaptive, equitable, and sustainable always with human needs at the center.
If a cognitive city could talk – what would it know about you and say?
It wouldn’t “know” everything about you, that’s a common misconception. A cognitive city works with anonymized, contextual, and consented data, not individual surveillance.
If the city could speak, it might say: “Your usual commute is affected by traffic and weather, and your day includes multiple appointments across the city. I’ll adjust public transport capacity, optimize traffic flow, and suggest the best routes so you can travel efficiently and stress-free.”
Cognitive cities don’t track individuals. They understand context and collective patterns, recognize what the city and its residents need, and respond in ways that help everyone live, work, and move more smoothly.
What are three mind-blowing things cognitive cities can already do?
Here are three examples that already are a reality somewhere in the world:
Predict and prevent traffic jams
AI models can forecast congestion minutes or even hours in advance. Signals can be adjusted, public transport rerouted, and traffic proactively distributed, reducing emissions and saving time. Singapore’s traffic prediction system is a leading example, dynamically managing signals and traffic flows.
Transform waste and resource management
IoT sensors in bins, underground pneumatic systems, and AI-driven collection routes make waste disposal cheaper, cleaner, and more sustainable. Barcelona’s smart waste system is one of the frontrunners.
Reinvent public services and transactions
From land registration to permit approvals, cognitive cities leverage digital identities and automated workflows to cut processing times from weeks to hours. Dubai, for example, uses blockchain to streamline public services and reduce administrative overhead.
What’s one cognitive city feature you’ll probably use without knowing it?
Adaptive environments. You enter a building, station, or public space, and everything just works. Lighting, ventilation, and energy usage adjust automatically based on occupancy and weather. Elevators anticipate demand. Public spaces adjust their energy profile according to how people use them. You don’t need to request anything, the environment adapts in the background to make the experience smoother, safer, and more sustainable.
For example, Copenhagen has intelligent buildings that already optimize energy consumption automatically.
What challenges must cities address to make this future real?
The biggest challenge isn’t technology – it’s governance. Cities need trusted data-sharing models, ethical frameworks that prevent surveillance and ensure citizen consent, interoperable digital infrastructure, cybersecurity at scale, and new skills and operating models in public administration.
Cognitive cities only thrive when technology, governance, and human-centered design come together. Without this foundation, even the best AI cannot achieve meaningful impact.
Why should cities start now?
The shift from “smart” to “cognitive” represents a fundamental transformation, enabling cities to reduce costs and emissions, improve service quality, strengthen resilience to crises, attract talent and investment, and significantly enhance citizens’ quality of life.
Cognitive capabilities will become a competitive advantage for cities, not in 2035, but within the next 3-5 years. Cities that have already addressed this topic and are preparing for the changes – or are taking action now – will be at a clear advantage.
