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] Tesla could deploy 1 million Robotaxis across multiple cities by the end of 2035. Tiger Brokers
• [New] Tesla's ride-hailing service is projected to expand to over 30 U.S. cities by 2026. Tradingkey
• [New] Tesla will successfully launch Robotaxis in over 30 cities in 2026 and start to scale volume production of Cybercabs starting the true autonomous era for Musk & Co. he said in a note before the Christmas holiday. AOL
• [New] By 2028, an estimated 40% of mining technical roles will operate through remote control centers located in major cities, fundamentally altering traditional fly-in-fly-out workforce models and enabling access to broader talent pools. Discovery Alert
• [New] The Singapore Smart City Master Plan is a bold and ambitious initiative that has the potential to transform Singapore into a global leader in urban innovation. T.Jis
• [New] In 2026, GCC cities like Doha, Dubai, and Riyadh will continue their push towards smart city development. Travel And Tour World
• [New] With a strong commitment to innovation and a focus on citizen engagement, Singapore's smart city initiatives will continue to evolve, shaping the future of urban living. K.Briz
• [New] AI development will dominate trends expected to impact cities in 2026, such as autonomous vehicles, upzoning and commuter rail service. Smart Cities Dive
• 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
• Over two dozen US cities have decriminalized psilocybin, raising the likelihood that patients will seek psilocybin outside of formal medical systems. Pharmacy Times
• By 2026, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other major cities will begin to see air taxi services taking off. Travel And Tour World
• By 2026, cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, and Washington D.C. will see robotaxi services expand dramatically. Travel And Tour World
• 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
• Archer is building vertiport networks in major US cities and targets commercial service in 2026. Veritas Electronics Kenya
• By using GIS models, authorities can simulate flood paths, temperature gradients, and soil erosion to mitigate risks and help Indian cities build resilience. Mapex
• 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
• 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
• 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 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
• Cities like Berlin and Munich are expected to implement pilot projects that include air taxis as part of smart city transportation. Precedence Research
• 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

Last updated: 10 January 2026