On April 24, 2026, a roundtable on “Virtual Smart City: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” was held at Mingachevir State University within the framework of the “Year of Urban Planning and Architecture.” The event was organized by the university’s Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies.
The main purpose of the event was to discuss modern urban planning processes in the context of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, green technologies and innovative governance models, as well as to analyze the scientific and practical foundations of the “smart city” concept and evaluate approaches to the sustainable urban environment of the future.
Opening the roundtable, Director of the MSU Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies Aida Mustafayeva noted that the “Year of Urban Planning and Architecture” is of great importance in terms of promoting human-centered, digital, safe and environmentally sustainable urban approaches in the country. She emphasized that the modern concept of a city is no longer limited only to physical space and infrastructure; rather, a city is emerging as a complex system that uses resources efficiently, is managed through digital technologies, and supports social well-being and ecological balance.
Aida Mustafayeva stated that the “smart city” model, along with integrating digital tools into the urban environment, aims to qualitatively reorganize urban life, increase flexibility in governance, ensure accessibility of services, strengthen security and improve citizens’ well-being. According to her, the virtual smart city approach creates new opportunities for the application of digital simulation, data-based analysis, forecasting and interactive technologies in urban decision-making.
Within the framework of the roundtable, presentations by university staff approaching the topic from different perspectives were heard. Shabnam Nasirova, speaking on “Green Technologies and Sustainable Smart Cities,” highlighted the important role of technological solutions aimed at energy efficiency, environmental responsibility and reducing the carbon footprint in modern urban policy.
Dinara Islamova, in her presentation on “Application of IoT and Sensor Networks in Urban Infrastructure,” spoke about the opportunities created by Internet of Things technologies in urban management in terms of real-time monitoring, prompt decision-making and improving service quality. Elvin Muradzade, in his presentation on “Cybersecurity and Data Protection in Smart Cities,” emphasized that ensuring information security in digitalized urban ecosystems is one of the priority issues.
The event also featured presentations by Mahsati Aliyeva on “Smart Transport and the Transformation of Urban Mobility,” Maleyka Heydarova on “Big Data and Digital Analytics in Urban Planning,” and Gulay Bahramova on “Reconstructing the Urban Experience through Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.” The presentations touched upon issues such as digital transport solutions, data-driven governance, efficient allocation of urban resources, visualization of architectural solutions and expanding citizen participation.
During the discussions, it was noted that modern urban planning is not limited only to construction and architecture; it is a strategic development model that combines important areas such as digital governance, environmental sustainability, technological flexibility, social inclusiveness, security and human well-being. In this regard, the concept of a “virtual smart city” was assessed as a relevant approach for shaping scientific views on the cities of the future and integrating innovative solutions into urban life.
In conclusion, it was stated that the roundtable held at MSU served as an important academic platform in terms of aligning the university’s scientific and intellectual potential with current state priorities, promoting a digital and green thinking environment, and developing conceptual views on the human-centered and sustainable cities of the future.