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The emergence of 5G technology is revolutionizing the development of smart cities by providing unparalleled speed, ultra-low latency, and massive device connectivity. These advancements enable seamless integration of IoT devices, real-time monitoring systems, and innovative urban solutions. This paper investigates the role of 5G in addressing key urban challenges—such as network congestion, energy efficiency, and data security—while emphasizing its transformative potential for advancing smart city architectures. Particular attention is given to integrating 5G with real-time digital twins, which bridge the physical and digital worlds to optimize urban operations, improve resource allocation, and enhance public safety. Despite its promise, 5G deployment faces obstacles including high infrastructure costs, substantial energy consumption, and limited signal coverage. This study reviews current trends, existing implementations, and emerging issues surrounding 5G in smart cities, offering perspectives on its limitations and potential mitigation strategies. It underscores the importance of collaboration among stakeholders to fully unlock 5G’s capabilities and develop scalable, secure, and sustainable smart city solutions. 

Amid worsening worldwide environmental degradation and escalating carbon outputs from the construction sector, school campuses—serving as the main settings for young people’s education and daily life—hold significant importance in promoting designs that prioritize low-carbon approaches, enhanced energy conservation, and eco-friendly surroundings. This study examines the renovation of Yezhai Middle School in Qianshan, Anhui Province, as a specific example, investigating methods to improve airflow patterns and to implement facade-based energy conservation measures for hilly-terrain school facilities during upgrades to pre-existing structures. Within the broader push toward intelligent urban systems, embedding cutting-edge tools and eco-conscious methods into communal facilities has emerged as a central priority. By conducting airflow modeling and upgrading building exteriors for greater efficiency, the analysis demonstrates nonlinear increases in airflow velocity with increasing elevation, alongside notable influences of surface texture on fluctuations in wind conditions. Incorporating expanded polystyrene (EPS) boards, along with added thermal barriers, during exterior upgrades reduces heating demand in colder months and air conditioning demand in warmer months. The updated exteriors successfully block chilly drafts while minimizing unwanted solar heat absorption, resulting in energy savings of roughly 24%. These findings offer valuable technical guidance and real-world insights for implementing low-carbon, efficiency-focused upgrades across additional educational and civic structures, supporting the building sector’s shift toward sustainable, lower-emission practices within intelligent urban frameworks.