* By Jamile Sabatini Marques
When we talk about smart cities, the debate often focuses on sensors, apps, and digital solutions that sound innovative but don't necessarily solve public problems. In this context, technology is a means—not an end. What truly transforms cities and determines results is the ability of governments to formulate good public policies, use data strategically, and integrate innovation into the concrete routine of urban services.
This shift in focus gains momentum with the National Data Economy Policy (PNED), a nationwide policy that establishes the foundations for interoperability and governance so that non-personal data—both public and private—can circulate securely between government agencies, productive sectors, and industrial chains. In other words, the PNED defines the institutional foundations of a data-driven environment in the country. By standardizing technical requirements and encouraging integration between systems, it reduces historical barriers to fragmentation, unlocks economic value, and strengthens Brazil's autonomy in the strategic use of its own data.
Urban mobility highlights this potential. When a transportation system begins to operate with electronic ticketing data, real-time fleet control, and evidence-driven planning, the city begins to understand its social dynamics with much greater precision. It identifies critical times, hidden bottlenecks, travel patterns, user profiles, and needs that would hardly emerge solely through human perception. And it is this intelligence—the ability to transform data into public action—that allows for adjusting routes, reducing operational failures, increasing safety, and expanding public access to essential services.
Similarly, in digital transformation initiatives, three layers need to advance together: infrastructure, services, and skills—underpinned by a prepared organizational culture and public teams trained to operate and sustain these changes. Investing in digital networks, systems, or platforms is fundamental, but these resources only gain real value when public servants, citizens, and businesses can use them effectively. A truly smart city is one that simplifies processes, improves user experience, and reduces inequalities. This means thinking of technology as a means—and in an accessible, human, and inclusive way.
Another crucial point for 2026 will be the convergence between innovation and financing. A continental country, with such diverse realities, needs financial instruments to support the digital transformation of cities—and they exist. There are specific credit lines for digital infrastructure, programs that finance services and automation, incentive mechanisms for sustainable municipalities, and public calls focused on experimenting with technologies at the municipal level. The great opportunity lies in strengthening the development of well-structured projects and promoting greater integration between those who finance, those who develop solutions, and those who implement public policies. And it is precisely this set of conditions that transforms technology into concrete solutions.
In this sense, the partnership between ABES and Caixa represents an important step in the right direction — a move that highlights the need to connect ecosystems that have historically operated in isolation. Technology, public management, and financing need to come together in the same place for solutions to become viable, financeable, and, above all, useful.
If we want truly smart cities, we need to reconcile technological advancements with the priorities of public administration. It's necessary to understand that the heart of urban intelligence lies in three pillars: data that guides decisions, governments capable of implementing and sustaining long-term policies, and innovative ecosystems connected to the real needs of the population.
More than that: smart cities are human cities. They are spaces where women feel safer moving around, where public transport works, where digital services save time and create new opportunities, where technology supports inclusion, and where urban infrastructure responds to growing climate challenges.
Brazil has the conditions to move forward. The public sector has clear demands; the private sector has mature solutions; and financial institutions have financing instruments capable of driving profound transformations. Bringing these elements into cooperation is the movement that will define the pace of the coming years.
ABES remains committed to reducing inequalities through technology — and to connecting companies, governments, and institutions so that the country progresses solidly. Because smart cities are not born from technology itself: they are born from the ability to use it purposefully, as a tool at the service of people, with efficiency and a vision for the future.
And that is exactly what 2026 demands of us all.
*Jamile Sabatini Marques is the Director of Innovation, Development and Research at the Brazilian Association of Software Companies (ABES).
Notice: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies
Article originally published on the IT Portal website: https://itportal.com.br/como-boa-gestao-e-tecnologia-moldam-o-futuro-das-cidades-inteligentes/
