Smart City News: Kochi SmartCity Review, Penang Plans
Kerala’s new government says it will take a fresh look at SmartCity Kochi, the Rs 1,700 crore IT park that has been stuck for years, instead of pushing ahead with the previous government’s plan to take back the land. That’s the lead in this edition of our smart city news roundup, and it’s a reminder that a smart city project can outlive several governments without ever being finished.
We picked six stories this time. Two are from India: the Kochi review and a restored heritage hall in Visakhapatnam that has been locked since 2022. Four are from abroad: Penang has launched a 2040 smart city master plan, a Korean firm will plan a new satellite city in Tanzania’s capital, the UN has published a guide on when cities should and shouldn’t use AI, and a mayors’ network has set up a task force to get climate pilots funded. For how city data finally comes together in an operations room, see our complete guide to control rooms.
Smart city news from India
Kerala to review the stalled SmartCity Kochi project
Industries minister P K Kunhalikutty says the UDF government will fully review SmartCity Kochi, the joint venture with Dubai’s TECOM Investments, and take a decision only after he and the chief minister hold talks in the Gulf, the Times of India reports. The previous LDF government had served a legal notice to reclaim the 246 acres allotted to the project, saying TECOM had not delivered the promised 90,000 jobs or 8.8 million sq ft of built space. The New Indian Express adds that a committee will first look at the open issues before a ministerial panel meets the UAE government.[1][2]
Read the original: UDF govt to review ‘stalled’ SmartCity project (Times of India) and ‘Panel will visit Dubai to resolve Kochi SmartCity issue’ (The New Indian Express)
Not part of the Smart Cities Mission: SmartCity Kochi is a private IT township dating back to the mid-2000s, not one of the 100 mission cities. Kochi’s mission company, CSML, is separate, and was in our weekly roundup for its Urban Challenge Fund proposals.
Visakhapatnam’s restored Town Hall still sits locked
The 122-year-old Town Hall in Visakhapatnam’s Old Town was restored under the Smart Cities Mission for about Rs 4.13 crore between 2019 and 2022, but it still hasn’t opened to the public, The New Indian Express reports. The civic body plans a city heritage museum on the ground floor. GVMC commissioner Ketan Garg told the paper the opening was held up by the election model code of conduct and could be scheduled after the polls.[3]
Read the original: Vizag’s historical Town Hall awaits reopening (The New Indian Express)
Finished isn’t the same as in use: Several mission assets are complete on paper but idle on the ground, which is one reason the mission’s final scorecard is harder to read than its completion numbers. Our overview of India’s Smart Cities Mission in 2026 looks at where things stand.
Smart city news from abroad
Penang launches a 2040 smart city master plan
Penang has launched two plans: a State Smart City Master Plan 2040, prepared by PLANMalaysia Penang, and a Smart City Action Plan 2030 for the Penang Island City Council, Bernama reports. Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow named a Penang Urban Intelligence Observatory, a State Data Exchange and a Smart Penang Dashboard as the core pieces of a shared state data system. The council’s plan focuses on municipal services, mobility, digital infrastructure and the environment.[4]
Read the original: Penang Launches Two Smart City Plans To Enhance Data, Technology Integration (Bernama)
Data exchange first: Putting a state data exchange at the centre, rather than a list of gadgets, is the right order. Most Indian command centres still struggle because each department keeps its own data.
Korean firm to plan a new satellite city in Dodoma
Heerim Architects & Planners has been picked as lead master planner for the Hombolo Thematic Satellite City, a roughly 10,000-hectare development around Hombolo Lake in Dodoma, Tanzania’s capital, The Korea Herald reports. Dodoma City Council and Heerim signed the feasibility study and master plan agreement on 9 November. The firm says it won the work by negotiating directly with the city, without relying on Korean public loan programmes.[5]
Read the original: Heerim to master-plan smart city in Tanzania’s capital (The Korea Herald)
Planning is the easy part: New satellite cities across Africa and Asia often get master plans long before they get funding or residents, so the next milestone to watch is who pays for the roads and utilities.
UN guide says choosing not to use AI can be the right call
The ITU and UN-Habitat have released the U4SSC Toolbox for People-Centred Smart Cities in the AI Era, a practical guide for mayors and city managers, the Digital Watch Observatory reports. It sets four principles: start from a real urban problem, keep public decisions under meaningful human control, use stronger safeguards where an AI system has a bigger impact, and accept that not using AI can be a responsible choice. It draws on examples from Helsinki and eThekwini.[6]
Read the original: ITU and UN-Habitat release guidance for smart cities (Digital Watch Observatory)
Same message as the ROI data: In our last news roundup, a ThoughtLab study found that cities which plan AI around residents report about twice the return. Indian cities adding analytics to camera networks can use this toolbox as a checklist before buying.
Mayors’ network launches task force to fund climate pilots
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy has set up a Business Task Force to match cities with investors and technology firms, announced at Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Cities Today reports. Co-managing director Andy Deacon said promising projects often stall at the pilot stage because cities lack partners, expertise or investment. A new 50-city cohort of the City-Business Climate Alliance, run with C40, includes London, Paris, New York and Cape Town.[7]
Read the original: New global task force targets city climate investment gaps (Cities Today)
Problem before technology: Deacon’s line that cities must start with the problem, not the technology, echoes the UN toolbox above. Pilots that never scale are a familiar story in Indian smart cities too.
Trisim’s view: plans are cheap, operations are not
Penang and Dodoma are writing plans, Kochi is reopening an old one, and Visakhapatnam has a finished building nobody can use. The common thread is that announcing a project is the easy step. What decides whether it helps residents is whether someone owns it after handover, with staff, a budget and data that actually flows to the people running the city.
Planning or upgrading a command and control centre? Talk to Trisim Global Solutions.
Sources
- Times of India, UDF govt to review ‘stalled’ SmartCity project, accessed 10 November 2026
- The New Indian Express, ‘Panel will visit Dubai to resolve Kochi SmartCity issue’, accessed 10 November 2026
- The New Indian Express, Vizag’s historical Town Hall awaits reopening, accessed 10 November 2026
- Bernama, Penang Launches Two Smart City Plans To Enhance Data, Technology Integration, accessed 10 November 2026
- The Korea Herald, Heerim to master-plan smart city in Tanzania’s capital, accessed 10 November 2026
- Digital Watch Observatory, ITU and UN-Habitat release guidance for smart cities, accessed 10 November 2026
- Cities Today, New global task force targets city climate investment gaps, accessed 10 November 2026