// CITY_ASSESSMENT

How smart is Kyoto?

Kyoto scores 37% against the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #258 of 386 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.

Smart score

37%

Rank

#258 / 386

Criteria present

27 / 86

Evidence coverage

43%

Kyoto's smart city score by area

Data, Digital & Smart Foundation83%

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

Mobility & Transport63%

2 present · 1 partial · 1 absent · 8 not assessed

Environment, Energy & Climate83%

2 present · 1 partial · 0 absent · 10 not assessed

Infrastructure, Water & Waste50%

2 present · 4 partial · 2 absent · 3 not assessed

Health, Education, Safety & Inclusion86%

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

Economy, Innovation & Employment71%

5 present · 0 partial · 2 absent · 1 not assessed

Governance, Resilience & Operating Model33%

0 present · 2 partial · 1 absent · 11 not assessed

Where Kyoto is strong

  • Open Data & Transparency
  • Education & Digital Skills
  • Culture, Tourism & Recreation
  • Urban Data Platform & Digital Twin
  • Public Safety & Emergency

Where the gaps are

  • Active & Shared Mobility
  • Governance & Smart-City Operating Model
  • Disaster Risk & Resilience
  • Green Space & Biodiversity
  • Digital Government Services

Evidence highlights

Digital Government Services · Online payments for taxes & fees

The eLTAX Local Tax Portal System allows for common tax payments and electronic declarations, indicating that local taxes can be paid online.

https://www.eltax.lta.go.jp/

Urban Data Platform & Digital Twin · Integrated urban data platform

Kyoto City operates an open data portal site that integrates data across various categories such as tourism, culture, disaster prevention, education, environment, and city administration.

https://data.city.kyoto.lg.jp/

Public Transport & Real-Time Information · Public transport network

Kyoto operates a municipal subway system, as evidenced by the availability of data on Kyoto Municipal Subway station intervals and fares on the city's open data portal.

https://data.city.kyoto.lg.jp/

Public Transport & Real-Time Information · Open schedule data (GTFS)

Kyoto provides open schedule data in GTFS/GTFS-JP format for both its city bus and city subway services under a Public Transportation Open Data Basic License.

https://ckan.odpt.org/dataset/kyoto_municipal_transportation_kyoto_city_bus_gtfs

About this assessment

Kyoto was assessed against the 86 criteria of the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework on 2026-07-11 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.