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This paper analyses the influence of the rise and development of learning cities and regions in adult education research work. Comparative adult education research has got great potential to investigate the concrete mechanism of learning city-region constructions and to analyse the changing nature and structures of learning city-region models. Therefore, the paper tries to underline the impact of some relevant theoretical focuses and related models perspectives and limitations to comparative adult education research work since it is important to examine how learning city-region collaborations at local-regional levels may enhance both participation and performance in the learning of adults, but also of other age groups, and affect the intergenerational dimensions of learning as well as community development. At the same time, this contribution signals the need for interdisciplinary approaches and positions in comparative research work on local and regional citizen participation in learning programmes.

The modern Learning City concept emerged from the work of OECD on lifelong learning with streams of Learning Cities and Educating Cities having much in common but having little contact with each other. While the early development of Learning Cities in the West has not been sustained, the present situation is marked by the dynamic development of Learning Cities in East Asia - especially in China, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan. In this context, the paper discusses the evolution of three generations of Learning Cities since 1992 and speculates on the future. The experience of the first generation is discussed in terms of development in the UK, Germany, Canada, and Australia where initiatives, with some exceptions, have not been sustained. Beijing and Shanghai are discussed as examples of the innovative second generation in East Asia, which is seen as a community relations model in response to the socio-economic transformation of these countries. International interest in Learning Cities has now been enhanced following a major UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities in Beijing in October 2013, which is to be followed by a Second International Conference in Mexico City. The Beijing Conference adopted the Beijing Declaration on Learning Cities supported by a Key Features document. The paper speculates on possible future development post Mexico City, including the situation in Australia, which is seen as opening opportunities for innovative initiatives. [Author abstract]

Cities worldwide are building ‘resilience’ in the face of water-related challenges. International networks have emerged through which urban communities draw on each other’s experiences and expertise in order to become resilient cities. Learning is a key principle in resilience-building, but thus far little empirical research is available on city-to-city learning and learning for urban resilience. This paper presents an analysis of how policy relevant knowledge on the notion of ‘Water Squares’ is exchanged between Rotterdam and Mexico City. We mobilize a framework composed of four distinct phases: exploration and marketing (phase 1), building pipelines (phase 2), translation and adoption (phase 3), and internalization and reflection (phase 4). Critical in first phase was introspective analysis of one’s own systems, strengths and weaknesses, rather than an outward-looking search for knowledge or mentees. During the second phase, the cities reframed their own narratives to match those of their counterparts as a way to create a mutual understanding of each other’s struggles and histories. This facilitated policy and knowledge exchange as equal partners on a basis of trust. In the third phase, strong local leaders were recruited into the process, which was key to anchor knowledge in the community and to reduce the risks of losing institutional memory in centralized, hierarchical institutions. For the fourth phase it should be stressed that by internalizing such lessons, cities might strengthen not only their own resilience, but also enhance future exchanges with other cities.

The revolution generated by the Internet of Things (IoT) has radically changed the world; countless objects with remote sensing, actuation, analysis and sharing capabilities are interconnected over heterogeneous communication networks. Consequently, all of today’s devices can connect to the internet and can provide valuable information for decision making. However, the data collected by different devices are in different formats, which makes it necessary to develop a solution that integrates comprehensive semantic tools to represent, integrate and acquire knowledge, which is a major challenge for IoT environments. The proposed solution addresses this challenge by using IoT semantic data to reason about actionable knowledge, combining next-generation semantic technologies and artificial intelligence through a set of cognitive components that enables easy interoperability and integration for both legacy systems and emerging technologies, such as IoT, to generate business value in terms of faster analytics and improved decision making. Thus, combining IoT environments with cognitive artificial intelligence services, COSIBAS builds an abstraction layer between existing platforms for IoT and AI technologies to enable cognitive solutions and increase interoperability across multiple domains. The resulting low-cost cross platform supports scalability and the evolution of large-scale heterogeneous systems and allows the modernization of legacy infrastructures with cognitive tools and communication mechanisms while reusing assets.

The capital of The Netherlands, Amsterdam, is home to more than 800,000 people. Developments in water safety, water quality, and robust water infrastructure transitioned Amsterdam into an attractive, economically healthy, and safe city that scores highly in the field of water management. However, investments need to be continued to meet future challenges. Many other cities in the world have just started their transition to become water-wise. For those cities, it is important to assess current water management and governance practices, in order to set their priorities and to gain knowledge from the experiences of more advanced cities such as Amsterdam. We investigate how Amsterdam’s water management and governance developed historically and how these lessons can be used to further improve water management in Amsterdam and other cities. This retrospective analysis starts at 1672 and applies the City Blueprint Approach as a baseline water management assessment. It shows that developments in water infrastructure and water management have often been reactive in response to various crises. International knowledge exchange, implementation of integrated water resources management, and long-term planning improved the city considerably. We conclude that experiences from the past can be used to meet present and future challenges in many cities across the globe.

Although Africa has been home to famous ancient cities in the past, its modern conurbation areas are poor living spaces characterised by squalor, poor planning and human misery. The authors of this paper argue that the learning city concept, still almost unknown in Africa, holds enormous potential for redressing the dysfunctional state of things and for guiding future orderly development of African cities. There have been timid attempts at operationalising the learning city concept, for example in the Western Cape (South Africa) between 2004 and 2006, in Gaborone (Botswana) between 2008 and 2010, and in Lagos State (Nigeria) from 2007 onwards. Furthermore, two African governments, namely those of Nigeria (2005) and South Africa (2006), joined the global \"Cities Alliance\" partnership, which operates a \"Cities without slums action plan\". However, many of these projects have not been successful, and the authors of this article identify five factors which have stood in the way of their proper take-off. Based on this analysis, the authors then propose a model for future learning city projects in Africa. It is a process model that uses critical awareness-building promoted by civil society organisations and government and harnesses the pressure of other social dynamics such as ethnic culture clusters. The authors then offer three policy recommendations and conclude by expressing their hope that the learning city concept will take hold and unfold its potential in Africa in the foreseeable future. Bien que l'Afrique ait été le berceau de cités célèbres, ses conurbations modernes sont des espaces de vie précaires marqués par des conditions de vie désastreuses, l'absence d'urbanisme et la misère humaine. Les auteurs de cet article soutiennent que le concept de ville apprenante, encore presque inconnu en Afrique, renferme un potentiel considérable pour remédier à cette situation déplorable, et pour guider à l'avenir un développement structuré des villes africaines. Il a existé des tentatives timides de transposer le concept de ville apprenante, par exemple au Cap (Afrique du Sud) entre 2004 et 2006, à Gaborone (Botswana) entre 2008 et 2010, et dans l'État de Lagos (Nigéria) à partir de 2007. En outre, deux gouvernements africains, ceux du Nigéria (2005) et de l'Afrique du Sud (2006), ont rejoint le partenariat mondial Alliance des Villes, qui applique un plan d'action «Villes sans bidonvilles». Néanmoins, un grand nombre de ces projets ne sont pas concluants, et les auteurs identifient cinq facteurs qui font obstacle à un démarrage réussi. À partir de cette analyse, ils proposent un modèle pour les futurs projets de ville apprenante en Afrique. Il s'agit d'un modèle de processus qui tire profit d'une sensibilisation critique encouragée par les organisations de la société civile et les gouvernements, et qui exploite la pression d'autres dynamiques sociales telles que les groupes ethnoculturels. Les auteurs énoncent finalement trois recommandations stratégiques et concluent en exprimant l'espoir de voir le concept de ville apprenante se répandre et déployer son potentiel en Afrique dans un avenir proche.

Despite UNESCO's Learning Cities agenda, which argues for the mobilisation of resources to promote education across all sectors and environments, there is little evaluative research on Learning City engagement which is both naturalistic and empirically rigorous. The research on informal adult learning in urban contexts is particularly sparse. This paper provides a case study of informal learning and lifewide literacies amongst Glaswegian adults using three distinct approaches to data collection: a household survey capturing rich data on learning attitudes, behaviours, and literacies; GPS trails that track mobility around the city; and the capture of naturally occurring social media. The work operationalises Learning City indicators, and explores domains beyond education, some of which have not previously been considered in surveys of adult learning, for example, physical mobilities and transportation patterns. We use theoretical concepts of social identity and capital to situate inclusion within explanatory frameworks of marginalisation in less tangible domains of informal learning using multi-stranded data. A triangulated analysis of city-wide participation in lifewide learning reveals a demographic picture of groups marginalised from learning opportunities and practices. We conclude with a call for new approaches to exploring learning participation which offer novel methods to evidence informal learning and lifewide literacies.

The purpose of this study is to advance conceptual understandings of the cognitive flexibility construct, in support of creativity and innovation in smart city civic spaces, employing the use of large language model artificial intelligence chatbots such as ChatGPT. Based on a review of the research and practice literature, this study formulates a conceptual framework for cognitive flexibility in support of creativity and innovation in AI environments, adaptable to smart cities. A research design is used that employs AI as a design material, in combination with a topical inquiry involving boundary setting and perspective taking, to co-pilot an exploration with ChatGPT-3.5/4. This study operationalizes the framework for applications to learning approaches, addressing flexibility and inclusivity in smart city spaces and regions. With the rapid evolving of chatbot technologies, ChatGPT-4 is used in the exploration of a speculative real-world urban example. This work is significant in that AI chatbots are explored for application in urban spaces involving creative ideation, iteration, engagement, and cognitive flexibility; future directions for exploration are identified pertaining to ethical and civil discourse in smart cities and learning cities, as well as the notion that AI chatbots and GPTs (generative pre-trained transformers) may become a zeitgeist for understanding and learning in smart cities.

Recently, the number of violence-related cases in places such as remote roads, pathways, shopping malls, elevators, sports stadiums, and liquor shops, has increased drastically which are unfortunately discovered only after it’s too late. The aim is to create a complete system that can perform real-time video analysis which will help recognize the presence of any violent activities and notify the same to the concerned authority, such as the police department of the corresponding area. Using the deep learning networks CNN and LSTM along with a well-defined system architecture, we have achieved an efficient solution that can be used for real-time analysis of video footage so that the concerned authority can monitor the situation through a mobile application that can notify about an occurrence of a violent event immediately.