Moscow Ranks Second Globally in Smart City Index
According to a report published by Forbes based on analyses from Kept, the Russian capital, Moscow, has secured the second position worldwide in the Smart City Index.
Moscow earned a score of 53.9 points, just slightly behind Singapore, which topped the ranking with 54.0 points. Beijing followed in third place (52.9 points), while London ranked fourth (52.5 points) and Shanghai fifth (51.7 points).
The ranking is based on five key pillars: smart governance, smart lifestyle, smart transportation, smart business and jobs, and sustainable development.
This is the second edition of its kind, where the report compared Moscow to several major global cities alongside cities from the Commonwealth of Independent States and the BRICS+ group. Two Russian cities, St. Petersburg and Kazan, also made it to the ranking, with Kazan categorized as a “city with development potential,” alongside Istanbul, Minsk, Baku, Tashkent, Astana, and Mumbai.
The report highlighted that Moscow stands out due to its high level of digital interaction between citizens and the municipality, facilitated by the development of a comprehensive online portal that offers digital services to citizens and businesses, enhancing transparency by providing information about various aspects of urban life.
Additionally, the report indicated that Moscow has achieved a qualitative leap in innovation by increasing its spending on research and development to 3.4% of its local economy. The city has expanded its smart mobility and car-sharing services, alongside the development of electric vehicle infrastructure.
Kept analysts noted that Moscow has successfully integrated international expertise and built effective partnerships between the public and private sectors, emphasizing that the Moscow Municipality offers both financial and non-financial support to innovative startups through the Moscow Innovation Cluster.
Despite these successes, the report cautioned about future challenges facing the Russian capital, including the full commercial launch of 5G networks and the need to increase hotel capacity to keep up with the rapid growth in tourist numbers.
