The term “smart city” is everywhere, presented as a technological revolution that can solve every urban problem with the right combination of sensors, control panels, and algorithms.
In reality, however, this concept can become an ideology that puts engineering ahead of architecture, urban planning, cultural values, and ethics, which should guide the way we design our cities.
I have seen both the promise and the pitfalls with my own eyes.
As Head of Data Center and Cloud Innovation at WOBCOM in Wolfsburg, I have helped shape one of Germany’s most ambitious smart city transformations over the past four years. Together with the city administration and partners such as automotive companies and municipal utilities, we have implemented projects that have brought tangible benefits in terms of mobility, infrastructure, and services for citizens.
Yet my experience has taught me that true digital transformation is not just about technology.
The integrated approach
What made the difference in Wolfsburg, as in Heidelberg, was focusing on structural transformation rather than isolated “digital showcases.”
Thanks to initiatives such as the Open Digital Platform (ODP), our central hub for IoT and data integration, and the Wolfsburg App, we have created an ecosystem in which data from different sources can be collected, analyzed, and transformed into services that people actually use.
Here are a few examples:
- SmartParking and electric charging reservations
- Real-time updates on electric mobility
- Environmental monitoring with real-time climate data for companies that manage distributed services in the city
- Reducing the consumption of valuable resources
- Increasing business productivity
It wasn’t just about implementing technology, but about an urban strategy designed together with other municipalities, service providers, and citizens.
The difference? Our goal was to solve problems that matter to people, not just implement gadgets.
Technology should be used as a tool, not an end in itself.
From artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things to algae panels that purify the air, technologies have the power to transform urban living. However, they can only provide lasting value if they are part of a broader vision that rethinks land use, water management, mobility, public spaces and governance.
Without this vision, the ‘smart city’ risks becoming just another marketing ploy.
Digital greenwashing (a hanging garden here, a sensor there), a distraction from systemic challenges, or worse: a source of new inequalities.
Lessons from Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg’s journey taught me that a truly smart city must:
- Value culture as much as code. Cities are living systems, not just network diagrams.
- Engage citizens at every stage. People aren’t data points; they are co-creators.
- Share data responsibly. Our ODP fostered public-private collaboration while respecting privacy.
- Design for resilience. From parking to adaptable mobility services, we built with future challenges in mind.
- Business model. Exploring how a digital city platform can be economically sustainable for a municipality, and potentially generate income.
My Personal Takeaway
My work on transforming cities like Wolfsburg and Heidelberg, and other German cities, has made me realise that digitalisation is a tool, not a goal in itself.
I think technology is at its best when it connects people, places and possibilities. That could be integrated mobility in my role in German projects or sustainable transportation through the projects we’ve implemented.
You can’t call a city smart just because it’s all connected by data. It’s smart when it’s connected by life.