Report Contents
Artificial intelligence is often described as software. Its growth also depends on land, electricity, cooling, water, network connections, and the communities that host the infrastructure. Those needs place data centers inside the practical work of urban planning.
C40’s September 22 update says 49 cities representing more than 110 million people now endorse the Global Urban Data Centres Pact. Its principles call for data centers to be integrated into city planning, to use resources efficiently, to engage communities, and to support shared prosperity. Endorsement is a signal of common direction; it does not by itself settle local siting decisions or replace local rules.
For city teams, the useful question is how to assess a proposal alongside other urban needs. That means examining grid and water capacity, land use, heat and other local effects, and how residents can understand and shape the decision. Digital infrastructure planning belongs in the same conversation as the services and neighborhoods it supports.
SCD perspective: track whether these principles become measurable local requirements, transparent reporting, and durable benefits for host communities. The pace of AI investment makes that implementation question more consequential than the announcement alone.