Aretian at Smart City Expo World Congress 2025

From November 4th to 7th, 2025, Aretian Urban Analytics and Design participated in the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) in Barcelona, joining global leaders, city representatives, researchers, and innovators to discuss how data, AI, and design are reshaping the future of cities. Throughout the week, the Aretian team showcased how advanced City Science research, developed in recent years at Harvard University, combined with Aretian’s expertise in urban design and economic strategy consulting, can help cities envision more attractive, inclusive, and sustainable futures, grounded in evidence-based diagnostics and real-world data.

Participation in the panel “From Bricks to Algorithm: The New Language of Building Design”

Aretian’s Founder and CEO Ramon Gras took part in the panel “From Bricks to Algorithm: The New Language of Building Design”, moderated by Giuseppe Masanotti, where he presented Aretian’s work alongside Minna Säpyskä-Aalto (The Baltic Institute of Finland, City of Tampere), Olga Chepelianskaia (UNICITI), Theresa Fink (Digital Resilient Cities and Regions, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology), and Dorothea Manou (Bentley Systems). The discussion explored how urban analytics, computational design, and AI-driven tools are redefining how buildings and districts are conceived, planned, and delivered.

Showcasing the Barcelona Metropolitan Digital Twin

During the Congress, the Aretian team also presented on different occasions the next-generation Barcelona Metropolitan Region City Digital Twin, a platform aspiring to become one of the world’s most advanced urban digital twins. The team demonstrated how it is already being applied to address key urban challenges, including:

• Housing Challenge – Strategic planning for 475,000 new homes by 2050, addressing housing needs for over 700,000 residents.

• Economic Strategy – Analysis of 443 industrial clusters across 10 industries to strengthen regional competitiveness.

• Knowledge Economy Vision – Mapping 58 research centers across 12 knowledge domains to foster innovation and long-term prosperity.

• Mobility Flows – Modeling public transport demand to reduce travel times, accidents, and emissions.

• Urban Design Guidelines – Defining standards for vibrant, walkable, and sustainable 15-minute cities.

The Aretian City Digital Twin illustrates how cities can move from static plans to dynamic, data-driven decision-making, enabling more resilient and sustainable urban development. The conversations held with attendees at the Generalitat de Catalunya and Barcelona City Council stands were particularly insightful. These exchanges, along with discussions with companies, governments, research institutions, and city networks from around the world, have already opened the door to new collaborations and projects that will begin in the coming weeks. City Science, AI, and Digital Twins are transforming the way cities are designed, planned, and managed, and the Aretian City Digital Twin is proud to be at the forefront of this transformation. 

We look forward to continuing these conversations and working together to build smarter, more sustainable, and more livable cities.