WHY SMART CITIES ARE PRIORITISING INTERACTIVE PUBLIC SPACES
8 May 2025
As cities evolve to meet the demands of a more connected, conscious, and climate-aware generation, one clear trend is emerging: the rise of the interactive public space.
No longer just about urban beautification or infrastructure, smart cities are increasingly investing in environments that respond to people, to data, to movement, and to mood.
But why?
At its core, a smart city isn’t merely about sensors, 5G networks, or algorithmic efficiency. It’s about human-centric design. The most successful urban environments are those that engage their citizens not just functionally, but emotionally and experientially.
As Jan Gehl, renowned Danish architect and urban designer, once said: “A good city is like a good party: people stay because they are enjoying themselves.”
Smart cities are taking this to heart, and interactivity is becoming their secret weapon.
Interactive public spaces, whether kinetic walkways that generate data and energy from footsteps, solar benches that charge your phone, or digital installations that respond to community input, they create feedback loops. They turn passive citizens into active participants. They make sustainability visible, technology tangible, and playfulness part of the urban narrative.
And the data backs it up. According to a 2023 World Economic Forum report on urban innovation, cities that invest in experiential and interactive design see measurable increases in citizen satisfaction, dwell time, and local economic activity. People spend more time in places that make them feel seen and connected and cities that embed interactivity into public spaces experience higher engagement with civic services and sustainability campaigns.
These spaces also address another major urban challenge: social isolation.
As urbanisation accelerates, so does loneliness. Interactive design, whether a playful energy game on a public floor or a responsive bench that tracks air quality and shares information, creates micro-moments of connection. It becomes a social glue, nudging strangers into moments of shared experience.
The takeaway?
Interactivity is not an add-on. It’s becoming an essential part of how smart cities deliver their mission: making urban living more engaged, equitable, and emotionally resonant.
Because the cities of the future won’t just be technologically advanced, they’ll be human-powered, too.
For more information, video content and photos of Pavegen, contact press@pavegen.com
About Pavegen
Pavegen is a purpose-driven technology business that helps power change and generates positive outcomes for people and planet. Laying underfoot inside buildings, public spaces and at events, Pavegen Kinetic Paving harnesses the power of people’s footsteps, creating not only a small amount of energy – but also imaginative, interactive experiences and data, to help educate, engage and enable meaningful actions around sustainability and Net Zero intent. Pavegen calls this Citizen Impact; powered by Pavegen.
Pavegen helps power Kinetic Street Furniture applications such as USB charging, LED lights, and Green Wall irrigation systems, whilst data from the system can be used for public educational purposes on digital display screens. Kinetic Brand Experiences at live events, expos, festivals and public spaces produce data to provide gamified experiences that help brands engage meaningfully with consumers.
The company was founded in 2009 by Laurence Kemball-Cook who invented the Kinetic Paving technology that can now be seen in over 37 countries around the world.