// CITY_ASSESSMENT

How smart is San Diego?

San Diego scores 58% against the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #122 of 386 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.

Smart score

58%

Rank

#122 / 386

Criteria present

40 / 86

Evidence coverage

69.8%

San Diego's smart city score by area

Data, Digital & Smart Foundation58%

5 present · 5 partial · 3 absent · 2 not assessed

Mobility & Transport90%

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

Environment, Energy & Climate77%

7 present · 3 partial · 1 absent · 2 not assessed

Infrastructure, Water & Waste68%

5 present · 5 partial · 1 absent

Health, Education, Safety & Inclusion70%

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

Economy, Innovation & Employment93%

6 present · 1 partial · 0 absent · 1 not assessed

Governance, Resilience & Operating Model65%

7 present · 3 partial · 3 absent · 1 not assessed

Where San Diego is strong

  • Public Transport & Real-Time Information
  • Climate Action & Emissions
  • Culture, Tourism & Recreation
  • Innovation & Economic Development
  • Green Space & Biodiversity

Where the gaps are

  • Active & Shared Mobility
  • Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure
  • Air Quality & Monitoring
  • Inclusion & Civic Participation
  • Climate Adaptation & Heat

Evidence highlights

Open Data & Transparency · Official open data portal

The City of San Diego operates an official open data portal where the public can explore and download datasets.

https://data.sandiego.gov/

Digital Government Services · Unified online services portal

The City of San Diego offers a main website portal where residents can apply for various permits (e.g., business license, building permits, parking permits), check the status of requests, find information, and make payments for items like parking tickets. A…

https://www.sandiego.gov/get-it-done

Digital Government Services · Online payments for taxes & fees

The City of San Diego's official website includes a 'Pay' option for various services, and a dedicated 'Payments' page under the Office of the City Treasurer, indicating that local taxes and fees can be paid online.

https://www.sandiego.gov/

Digital Government Services · Citizen reporting / 311 channel

San Diego provides a 'Get It Done' app and online portal for citizens to report issues such as parking problems, illegal dumping, graffiti, and trash collection concerns. The platform also allows users to view reports and check service status, and is explic…

https://www.sandiego.gov/get-it-done

About this assessment

San Diego was assessed against the 86 criteria of the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework on 2026-07-10 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.