Celebrating the leading Smart City Governments in the world

Smart City innovations offer mayors across the world a promising new way of engaging citizens and increasing quality of life. To offer city leaders guidance on assessing the readiness of their governments to develop, facilitate, or track their smart city initiatives, Eden Strategy Institute and ONG&ONG (OXD) developed this independent ranking of the Top 50 Smart City Governments, selected from over 140 cities globally.

Introduction

Why the need to rank Smart City Governments?

Study Background →

methodology

Discover the methodologies used in this ranking.

Learn More →

2018/19 Top 50 Smart City Government Rankings

  
    Ranking
    City
    Total Score
    Vision
    Leadership
    Budget
    Financial Incentives
    Support Programmes
    Talent-Readiness
    People Centricity
    Innovation Ecosystem
    Smart Policies
    Track Record
  

    1
    London
    33.5
    3.1
    4
    3
    4
    3
    3.1
    3
    4.1
    3.1
    3.1
  

    2
    Singapore
    32.3
    3
    4
    3
    4.1
    3
    3.1
    2
    3.1
    4
    3
  

    3
    Seoul
    31.4
    3.1
    3
    3
    2.2
    3
    3
    4.1
    3
    3
    4
  

    4
    New York
    31.3
    3
    3
    3
    3.1
    3
    3.1
    3
    4
    2
    4.1
  

    5
    Helsinki
    31.2
    3
    2
    4
    3.1
    3
    4
    3
    3.1
    2
    4
  

    6
    Montreal
    30.1
    3.1
    3
    3
    4
    3
    2
    3
    3
    3
    3
  

    7
    Boston
    29.6
    3
    3
    3
    2.1
    3
    3.1
    3.1
    3.1
    3.1
    3.1
  

    8
    Melbourne
    29.5
    3
    3
    3
    2.1
    3.1
    3.1
    4
    3.2
    2
    3
  

    9
    Barcelona
    29.4
    3
    3
    3
    2.1
    2
    3.1
    3
    3.1
    3.1
    4
  

    10
    Shanghai
    29.2
    3
    3
    4
    3.1
    3
    2
    2
    3
    2.1
    4
  

    11
    San Francisco
    29.1
    4
    2
    3
    2
    3
    3
    3
    4
    3.1
    2
  

    12
    Vienna
    28.5
    4
    3
    3
    2
    3.1
    2.1
    3.1
    2.1
    2.1
    4
  

    13
    Amsterdam
    28.4
    3
    3
    3
    4
    1
    2.1
    2.1
    3.1
    4
    3.1
  

    14
    Shenzhen
    28.3
    3
    3
    4.1
    3
    1
    3
    2
    3.1
    3
    3.1
  

    15
    Stockholm
    27.7
    4.1
    3
    3
    2.1
    2
    2.1
    3.1
    3.1
    2.1
    3.1
  

    16
    Taipei
    27.6
    3.1
    3
    3
    2.1
    2.1
    2.1
    3
    3.1
    3
    3.1
  

    17
    Chicago
    27.4
    3.1
    3
    3
    2.1
    1
    3.1
    3
    3
    2
    4.1
  

    18
    Seattle
    27.3
    4.1
    2
    3
    3
    2.1
    3
    2
    3.1
    2
    3
  

    18
    Hong Kong
    27.3
    3.1
    3
    3
    4
    2.1
    3
    2
    3
    1.1
    3
  

    20
    Charlotte
    27.2
    3
    3
    3
    2
    2
    2.1
    3
    3
    3
    3.1
  

    21
    Vancouver
    27.1
    3
    3
    3
    2
    2
    3
    3.1
    3
    2
    3
  

    21
    Washington, DC
    27.1
    4
    3
    3
    2.1
    2
    2
    2
    3
    4
    2
  

    23
    New Delhi
    27.0
    3
    3
    3
    2
    2
    4
    3
    2
    2
    3
  

    24
    Copenhagen
    26.6
    3
    3.1
    3
    2
    2
    2
    3.2
    3.2
    2
    3.1
  

    25
    Columbus
    26.4
    4.1
    3
    4
    3.1
    3
    1
    2.1
    3.1
    1
    2
  

    26
    Los Angeles
    26.3
    3
    3
    3
    2
    2.1
    3
    3.1
    3
    2.1
    2
  

    27
    Surat
    26.2
    3
    3
    3
    3
    2
    2.1
    3.1
    2
    2
    3
  

    28
    Tokyo
    26.0
    4
    3
    3
    2
    2
    1
    2
    3
    3
    3
  

    29
    Berlin
    25.8
    3
    4
    2
    2
    2.1
    1
    3.2
    3.2
    3.1
    2.2
  

    30
    Beijing
    25.5
    3
    3
    3
    3.2
    1
    3.1
    2
    3.1
    2
    2.1
  

    31
    Sydney
    25.4
    3
    2
    2
    2
    2.1
    3
    3.1
    3.1
    2.1
    3
  

    32
    Ahmedabad
    25.3
    3
    3
    3
    3.1
    2
    2.1
    2.1
    3
    2
    2
  

    32
    Bhubaneswar
    25.3
    3
    3
    3
    2
    2.1
    2
    3.1
    2
    2
    3.1
  

    34
    Jaipur
    25.2
    3
    3
    3
    2.1
    2
    2.1
    3
    3
    2
    2
  

    35
    Atlanta
    25.1
    3
    2.1
    3
    3
    3
    2
    1
    3
    2
    3
  

    36
    Pune
    25.0
    3
    3
    3
    2
    2
    2
    4
    2
    2
    2
  

    37
    Wellington
    24.4
    3
    3
    3
    1
    2.1
    2
    3
    2.1
    2
    3.2
  

    38
    Kansas City
    24.3
    4
    2
    4
    1
    2.1
    1
    3
    2.1
    2.1
    3
  

    39
    Toronto
    24.2
    2
    3
    3
    2.1
    2
    2
    2.1
    3
    2
    3
  

    40
    Dubai
    24.0
    3
    3
    3
    2
    2
    3
    1
    2
    2
    3
  

    41
    Dublin
    23.6
    3
    4
    2
    3
    2
    1
    2.1
    2.3
    2.1
    2.1
  

    42
    Tel Aviv
    23.3
    3
    1
    3
    2.1
    2
    2.1
    2
    4
    2.1
    2
  

    43
    Philadelphia
    23.1
    2
    2
    3
    2
    2
    3
    2
    3
    2.1
    2
  

    44
    Reykjavik
    22.8
    2
    3
    2
    2.1
    2.1
    1
    4.1
    2.3
    2
    2.2
  

    45
    Lyon
    22.6
    3
    3
    3
    2.2
    2
    2.1
    2
    1
    1
    3.3
  

    46
    Paris
    22.4
    3
    2
    3
    2
    2
    2
    2.1
    2.1
    2.2
    2
  

    47
    Jakarta
    22.2
    3
    3
    3
    2
    2
    1
    2
    2.1
    2
    2.1
  

    48
    Rio de Janeiro
    21.2
    2
    1
    2
    2
    2
    2.1
    3
    2
    2.1
    3
  

    49
    Phuket
    21.1
    3
    2
    3
    2.1
    2
    2
    1
    2
    2
    2
  

    50
    Kigali
    20.0
    2
    1
    2
    2
    2
    3
    2
    3
    1
    2
  

Key Insights

In the course of our study, we have identified 10 Themed Observations for governments to consider when planning a Smart City.
Read our full report that details these insights, by clicking the button at the top of this page.

1. Funding Smart City Initiatives

Innovative smart city funding mechanisms include competitions and hackathons, partnerships with private companies, smart procurement policies, and national- or state-level funds.

2. Developing a Smart City Strategy

Defining the smart solutions relevant to a city involves studying the actual interactions that citizens have with the city, leveraging the city's natural strengths, and co-creating the smart city vision and roadmap to align all constituents .

3. Smart Clusters & Innovation Districts

Cities around the world are increasingly experimenting with geographically-concentrated innovation ecosystems as innovation testbeds and hubs for knowledge exchange.

4. Digital Inclusion in Smart Cities

A city only becomes truly "smart" when all citizens are ready for it. Cities risk excluding entire segments of their population from the smart city experience. Teaching people how to navigate the digital world is a critical aspect of a digital inclusion plan.

5. The Promise of Open Data

Open data has emerged as a cost-efficient way to increase civic engagement, introduce city projects that attend to citizen needs, track the performance of smart city initiatives, improve efficiency and responsiveness, and apply knowledge from the general public to city solutions.

6. Co-creating the smart city

Involving outside businesses, startups, students, and the public at large can lead to larger variety, volume, and quality of insights, ideas, and feedback. In turn, citizens have shown great enthusiasm when they are given the opportunity to participate in designing and deciding their cities' future.

7. Smart City Leadership Models

Governments need to design flexible pathways for leadership to naturally evolve, as smart city initiatives increase in complexity or range, as the focus of initiatives broaden, or as the numbers of constituents grow in the city.

8. Sharing Knowledge Across Cities

City leaders can gain access to extensive knowledge networks and do not have to accomplish their smart city mission in isolation.

9. Preparing a Smart Workforce

Leading smart cities recognize the importance of supporting their citizens of all ages with digital skills. Learning experiences include hackathons to help communities familiarize themselves with digital tools, formal educational programmes, and industry immersion to help create the workforce of the future.

10. Beyond Affordability and Efficiency

A truly smart city has the potential to transform the character and liveablity of a city, rejuvenate its economy and heritage, enhance its resilience and sustainability, and even tighten the social compact with the government and among citizens.