For more than a decade, the “smart city” has dominated the global imagination—a vision of streets wired with sensors, dashboards glowing with data, and algorithms designed to smooth the friction of daily life. However, as the limitations of purely efficiency-driven models become clear, urban thinkers are asking: What comes next?
According to Paolo Testolini, Architect, Strategist, and Global Director of Masterplanning for ERA-co, the answer lies not in an upgrade of machines, but in a return to the human pulse that beats beneath them. In a new strategic outlook, Testolini argues that the rigid, orthogonal grids that have shaped cities for centuries must now give way to “softened,” adaptive environments designed for connection rather than throughput.
“We optimized our cities for machines like cars, traffic flow, and logistics,” says Testolini. “Now, we need to design for people again, which means bringing beauty to the built environment and echoing the rhythms of everyday life. The next generation of cities must be adaptive, organic, and grounded in human behavior, not just digital efficiency.”
The Shift: From “Smart” to Resilient
The early smart-city era—defined by top-down systems and sensor optimization—is yielding to a deeper need for resilience. With the World Economic Forum noting that the true challenge of the future is crafting cities that can weather climate pressures and widening inequities, the definition of urban intelligence is shifting.
Testolini posits that future-ready cities must prioritize climate adaptation and social belonging. This includes breaking away from rigid urban grids. “If autonomous mobility can navigate non-linear pathways, why must urban design remain trapped in rigid, orthogonal grids?” Testolini asks. “We’re entering a world where technology is smart enough to handle complexity. Urban design doesn’t have to hide from it anymore.”
Autonomous Mobility as a Catalyst for Human-Scale Design
The press release highlights that the move toward a “softened grid” is supported by emerging data on mobility. Citing McKinsey & Company’s 2023 report on The Future of Mobility, ERA-co notes that the adoption of shared and autonomous transportation could drastically reduce the 8:1 ratio of parking spots currently cluttering urban centers.
This technological shift offers a rare opportunity to reclaim asphalt for people. By reducing wide traffic lanes, planners can design narrower, shaded corridors that improve walkability and combat the urban heat island effect—a critical factor in 2025’s climate-conscious urban planning standards.
A New Urban Ethic: People Over Data
The updated vision for urbanism also demands an ethical reset regarding data. Citing the collapse of the Toronto Sidewalk Labs project as a cautionary tale, Testolini warns against the “data for data’s sake” model. Instead, the focus must shift to using technology quietly in the background to enable comfort, fairness, and livability.
“The future city isn’t about being ‘smarter,’ it’s about being more human,” Testolini states. “The future city will not be defined by the intelligence of its machines, but by the richness of the lives it holds. It will reveal itself not through data, but through the poetry of how people inhabit it.”
About ERA-co
ERA-co is a global brand experience and urban strategy consultancy. We help clients navigate the changing nature of cities, neighborhoods, and destinations to create places where people and the planet thrive. By combining deep research, data science, and visionary thinking, ERA-co crafts integrated strategies that balance urban growth with human connection