UN-Habitat China Future Cities Council Meeting 2026 Convenes in Jinhua, Zhejiang

On January 17, the UN-Habitat China Future Cities Council (CFCC) Meeting 2026, themed "Artificial Intelligence and Cities," was grandly convened in Jinhua, Zhejiang. The meeting aimed to delve into cutting-edge topics and practical pathways for AI-driven urban sustainable development. It attracted nearly 150 distinguished guests from UN-Habitat, municipal governments, academia, technology enterprises, and media, to shape a shared vision for tomorrow's cities.

The meeting centered on in-depth discussions aimed at leveraging digital technology to advance urban sustainable development. Participants universally agreed that Artificial Intelligence is integrating into urban governance, economy, society, and ecology with unprecedented depth and breadth, injecting powerful technological momentum into the global achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Opening and Exhibition: Building Consensus, Envisioning the Future
The meeting kicked off with guests immersed in the CFCC Annual Achievements Exhibition, where they explored the flagship report Future Cities Advisory Outlook (FCAO) 2025: AI and Cities and examined innovative outcomes from city and enterprise cases in AI and sustainable city development. A compelling promotional video then showcased Jinhua’s dynamic journey as an ancient city embracing digital transformation and future-ready development. The opening segment concluded with a congratulatory video message from Anacláudia Rossbach, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, commending the insights presented in the report.

In his opening remarks, Bruno Dercon, Senior Human Settlements Officer, UN-Habitat Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, congratulated the meeting. He emphasized that addressing urbanization challenges in the Asia-Pacific region requires building a responsible and inclusive AI governance framework to ensure technology truly serves sustainable development. He affirmed that this meeting and the FCAO 2025 provide crucial guidance in this regard, stressing that people-centered and ethical AI application is the right direction for urban transformation.
 

Zhang Zhenshan, Senior Advisor, UN-Habitat China Office, reviewed the history of CFCC's cooperation with Chinese cities and enterprises. He highlighted that the latest CFCC report, FCAO2025 centered on "AI and Cities," summarizes the pathway for Chinese cities' smart transition towards "optimization of existing urban stock," offering a Chinese approach to global urbanization.

Wang Shi, Chair of CFCC and Chairman of Vanke Foundation, drew on his practical experience to share his vision for urban development. He emphasized that cities should function as sustainable living organisms, calling for focused efforts in areas such as AI governance and zero‑carbon community building. These initiatives, he noted, aim to provide replicable Chinese solutions to support urban transformation worldwide.

Li Binfeng, Member of the Standing Committee of the Jinhua Municipal Committee of the CPC and Director of the Publicity Department, introduced Jinhua as an economically dynamic and culturally rich city in the heart of the Yangtze River Delta. He highlighted Jinhua’s dedication to integrating AI into urban governance and new industrialization, with the goal of building a distinctive, people-centered smart city driven by digital innovation.
 

Academician Forum: Sharing Frontier Insights and Guiding Future Development
During the Academician Forum, Wang Jian — Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), Director of Zhejiang Lab, Founder of Alibaba Cloud, and Initiator of the Shanghai Haina Academy of Engineering — highlighted data as a new form of natural resource in the digital age. He emphasized that in addressing urban resource consumption challenges, artificial intelligence offers a vital pathway to optimize allocation and advance toward the sustainable vision of “using fewer resources to create a better life.”

Zheng Qinghua, Academician of CAE, and Secretary of the Party Committee of Tongji University emphasized that artificial intelligence is emerging as a “new quality productive force” driving social transformation—a milestone in human civilization comparable to the advent of language, writing, and printing. He stressed that building people‑centered future cities requires addressing the governance challenges posed by AI while guiding its evolution toward a form of behavioral intelligence in which “knowledge and action are truly integrated.”

Wu Zhiqiang，Academician of CAE, and Professor of Tongji University observed that while technology defines an era, it is values that truly reshape it. Against the backdrop of technological advancement continuously transforming cities, he outlined three core dimensions of intelligent urban development: enabling urban systems to effectively perceive, learn, and facilitate multi-stakeholder decision-making, thereby paving the way toward a smarter future of governance.

Report Launch: Shared Wisdom Charting the Future
The meeting featured the launch of two pivotal reports. Future Cities Advisory Outlook 2025: AI and Cities was presented by the UN‑Habitat China Office, along with the report’s report writing expert group, CFCC Chair, and representative of the Vice Chair. The report addresses a timely question: where will artificial intelligence lead our cities, and how can it be harnessed to advance urban sustainability? To this, the report provides a clear answer: to create a better life with fewer resources. Secondly, it presents for the first time a panoramic technology map of “AI + Cities,” offering an important reference for cities worldwide to bridge the technological gap between AI applications and sustainable development goals. Third, it puts forward for the first time a roadmap for “AI + Cities,” spanning value alignment, data infrastructure, scenario-driven applications, and emergent intelligence. Covering different stages of development, this roadmap provides cities with actionable, practical pathways for implementation.

Also unveiled was the report Beijing Future Science City Sustainable Development Practice: Innovations and Achievements, co‑developed by UN‑Habitat, Beijing Future Science City, and Beijing Yudao Shifang. The study delves into 15 years of practice across seven key domains—from sustainable planning to green infrastructure—capturing milestone achievements in green, low‑carbon development and the cultivation of a vibrant innovation landscape. Together, these contributions offer a structured “Beijing Approach” to sustainable urban development worldwide.

Ying Sheng, Country Manager, UN-Habitat China Office, reviewed the CFCC's achievements over the past year and unveiled its strategic priorities for 2026. In response to pressing global housing and climate challenges, the CFCC has designated "Buildings for the Future" as its core thematic focus for 2026. It will also commence the compilation of the Future Cities Advisory Outlook 2026, thereby contributing insights from China to the global pursuit of sustainable urban development.

The high-level roundtable forums in the afternoon centered on three key themes — "Future Jinhua," "Future Technology," and "Sustainable Future" — prompting multidimensional dialogue and idea exchange.

Wrap-up: Harnessing Collective Intelligence, Shaping Sustainable Cities Together
This meeting brought together practical insights and innovative energy in the fields of AI and sustainable urban development in China. The discussions reaffirmed that digital technologies, with AI at the forefront, are key enablers for achieving the SDGs and creating inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable human settlements. From Jinhua’s local experiments to diverse urban initiatives, and from corporate innovation to academic research, the integration of technological empowerment and human‑centered values offers actionable pathways to tackle global challenges in housing, climate change, and urban governance.

Building on this gathering, the CFCC will continue to drive the transition of cities worldwide toward greener, smarter, and more equitable futures—through knowledge exchange, practice‑based advocacy, and cross‑sector cooperation—actively supporting the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and contributing tangible momentum to our shared future.