// CITY_ASSESSMENT
How smart is York?
York, United Kingdom, scores 81.3% against the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #21 of 388 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.
Smart score
81.3%
Rank
#21 / 388
Criteria present
64 / 86
Evidence coverage
88.4%
York's smart city score by area
12 present · 1 partial · 2 absent
8 present · 2 partial · 2 absent
11 present · 1 partial · 0 absent · 1 not assessed
8 present · 2 partial · 1 absent
10 present · 2 partial · 1 absent
6 present · 2 partial · 0 absent
9 present · 2 partial · 2 absent · 1 not assessed
Where York is strong
- ▸Urban Data Platform & Digital Twin
- ▸Air Quality & Monitoring
- ▸Climate Action & Emissions
- ▸Green Space & Biodiversity
- ▸Health & Digital Health
Where the gaps are
- ▸Active & Shared Mobility
- ▸Governance & Smart-City Operating Model
- ▸Inclusion & Civic Participation
- ▸Open Data & Transparency
- ▸Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure
Evidence highlights
Open Data & Transparency · Official open data portal
The City of York Council launched 'York Open Data' in March 2015, providing residents and businesses free access to information about the city.
https://data.york.gov.uk/dataset/waste-collection-lookupOpen Data & Transparency · Clear open licensing
The York Open Data platform explicitly states that data can be freely used under the terms of the Open Government Licence.
https://data.york.gov.uk/dataset/waste-collection-lookupOpen Data & Transparency · High-value datasets published
The portal includes datasets related to transport (members' travel, parking report), budget/procurement (payments to suppliers, grants, procurement information), and environment, among others, as part of its Local Government Transparency Code related data.
https://data.york.gov.uk/dataset/waste-collection-lookupConnectivity & ICT Infrastructure · Fibre / high-speed broadband coverage
The City of York Council has worked with North to design, install, and operate a city-wide dark fibre network infrastructure, contributing to York being a 'super-connected city' with high-speed connectivity.
https://www.north.tech/case-studies/city-of-york-council/Funding York can bid for
117 open calls — grants, tenders and innovation competitions York is eligible for, including UK-wide schemes any place can apply to. Every entry links to its source.
- NationalgrantCloses 15 Sept 2026Help The Homeless Grant Scheme
Help the Homeless
up to £5kApply → - NationalcompetitionCloses 16 Sept 2026Accelerating adoption of quantum enabled sensing and PNT
Innovate UK
up to £14.3m24 month projectEnds 30 Nov 2028 - NationalgrantCloses 16 Sept 2026Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure 2: Energy Efficiency
Innovate UK, Department for Transport (DfT)
- NationalgrantCloses 16 Sept 2026Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure 2: Electric Power
Innovate UK, Department for Transport
- Nationalinnovation-callCloses 16 Sept 2026Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure Two (ZEVI 2): Alternative Fuels
Innovate UK, Department for Transport
- Nationalinnovation-callCloses 16 Sept 2026Quantum computing applications for large scale impact: CR&D
Innovate UK
up to £13m - NationalgrantCloses 16 Sept 2026Healthy Heart Grants 2026
Heart Research UK
- NationalgrantCloses 17 Sept 2026Researcher Challenges Grants 2026
British Council
- NationalgrantCloses 18 Sept 2026Coastal Communities Fund Grant Scheme 2026
Moray Council
£10k–£50kApply → - NationalgrantCloses 18 Sept 2026Lowland Peat Water Implementation Grant
Environment Agency
- NationalgrantCloses 18 Sept 2026Second Year Of Moray Coastal Community Fund Opens For Bids
Moray Council
£10k–£50kApply → - NationalgrantCloses 18 Sept 2026Moray Council’s Coastal Community Fund
Moray Council
£10k–£50k
Showing 12 of 117 — see them all in the explorer.
About this assessment
York was assessed against the 86 criteria of the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework on 2026-09-03 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.