// CITY_ASSESSMENT

How smart is Zurich?

Zurich scores 51.5% against the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #173 of 386 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.

Smart score

51.5%

Rank

#173 / 386

Criteria present

32 / 86

Evidence coverage

65.1%

Zurich's smart city score by area

Data, Digital & Smart Foundation83%

8 present · 4 partial · 0 absent · 3 not assessed

Mobility & Transport94%

7 present · 1 partial · 0 absent · 4 not assessed

Environment, Energy & Climate71%

6 present · 5 partial · 1 absent · 1 not assessed

Infrastructure, Water & Waste75%

3 present · 3 partial · 0 absent · 5 not assessed

Health, Education, Safety & Inclusion56%

2 present · 5 partial · 1 absent · 5 not assessed

Economy, Innovation & Employment88%

3 present · 1 partial · 0 absent · 4 not assessed

Governance, Resilience & Operating Model69%

3 present · 5 partial · 0 absent · 6 not assessed

Where Zurich is strong

  • Open Data & Transparency
  • Public Transport & Real-Time Information
  • Green Space & Biodiversity
  • Energy & Smart Grid
  • Climate Adaptation & Heat

Where the gaps are

  • Inclusion & Civic Participation
  • Water & Sanitation
  • Active & Shared Mobility
  • Governance & Smart-City Operating Model
  • Disaster Risk & Resilience

Evidence highlights

Open Data & Transparency · Official open data portal

The City of Zurich operates an "Open Data Catalog" which serves as a central entry point for searching and using its open data.

https://data.stadt-zuerich.ch/

Open Data & Transparency · Clear open licensing

Datasets on the Zurich open data portal, such as the VBZ passenger numbers, are explicitly licensed under Creative Commons CCZero, and the portal states data is available for free and commercial reuse.

https://data.stadt-zuerich.ch/dataset/vbz_fahrgastzahlen_ogd

Open Data & Transparency · High-value datasets published

The City of Zurich's open data portal includes high-value datasets such as financial data, transport schedules (tram and bus), and categorized data for environment and mobility.

https://data.stadt-zuerich.ch/dataset/finanzdaten-der-stadt-zuerich

Open Data & Transparency · Programmatic API access

The City of Zurich provides API documentation and various APIs, including a RIS-API and Zürich Tourismus API, for programmatic access to its data.

https://opendatazurich.github.io/

About this assessment

Zurich was assessed against the 86 criteria of the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework on 2026-07-12 by AI agents gathering evidence from official public sources. Each criterion is marked present, partial or absent, and every finding links to where it was found. Scores refresh continuously as cities publish new evidence.