BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Smart City Expo World Congress^[1] 2022 will be remembered as one of the best design city forums of recent times. For three days, the largest international event for cities brings together some 20,000 experts, academics, representatives of cities, international organizations and technology companies in Barcelona these days, to address the future of cities from sustainability, inclusion, digital rights, resilience and, above all, human centricity.

Madinah's Pavilion at Smart City Expo World Congress 2022 Barcelona

This year, the jewel in the crown is the city of Madinah pavilion. Around 200 m2 of culture, innovation and tranquility, in a stand inspired, above all, by citizens.

Invited by the World Smart Cities Congress, Al-Madinah Region Development Authority (MDA) participates to share its experiences and expertise in the field of smart cities in Al-Madinah Pavilion at SCEWC22.

Throughout the first and second days of the event, MDA has participated in different panel sessions of the World Congress with well-known thought leaders, to share the directions of Al-Madinah Human-Centered Smart City and the use of technology as a supportive means rather than an objective. "We have gone from a supply driven to a demand driven approach. Our fundamental objective is to improve the lives of the citizens and visitors of Madinah. We want to be the most tranquil Smart City in the world", said Abdulrahman Ibrahim, Chief Data and Innovation Officer at MDA.

Al-Madinah Pavilion at the Smart Cities Expo displays units that showcase a 3-D model of the Prophet's Mosque, the Smart Madinah Strategy, Absher Platform, Raseel Platform for Smart Cities, Labaih Platform for Psychological Counseling, and the Medical Virtual Academy. Culture, hospitality and technology come together in a carefully designed space, which makes it one of the most visited stands of the Congress.

It is worth mentioning that Al-Madinah has been listed in the IMD Smart City Index since last year (2021); it ranks 2nd nationally after Riyadh, 4th regionally, and 72nd globally, ahead of other ancient and historical international cities. Al-Madinah is the only Arab and Asian city among the top ten Early Adopter of ISO Smart City Indicators issued by the World Council on City Data.

References

1. ^{^} Smart City Expo World Congress (www.linkedin.com)