Resilient City Digest. Edition 11

Welcome to the eleventh edition of the Resilient City Digest from MISTO! Today, we focus on the phenomenal pace of urban transformation — from Norway, where 9 out of 10 new cars are already electric, to Abu Dhabi, which has surged 10 positions in the global smart city ranking in just five years.

We will analyze what exactly makes cities global leaders and review the key platforms for knowledge exchange that are worth visiting in the near future. Join us!

What do “smart cities” look like today?

In a world that is becoming increasingly urbanized and interconnected, smart cities have long moved beyond technology alone, building their resilience on long-term strategies. These include digital twins, carbon footprint reduction, and active citizen engagement through open data. In essence, everything that can deliver sustainable, long-term results.

According to Qaleon Blog, IMD, and other authoritative rankings, the top five smart cities in the world in 2025 were as follows:

1. Zurich, Switzerland: ranked first in the IMD 2025 index. Key characteristics include strong infrastructure, e-services, transport, and healthcare.
2. Oslo, Norway: a consistent leader in quality of life and commitment to sustainable development.
3. Geneva, Switzerland: focused on social well-being, green infrastructure, and transparent urban governance.
4. Dubai, UAE: secured fourth place in the IMD Smart City Index thanks to large-scale investments in digital city development, smart services, and innovative infrastructure.
5. Abu Dhabi, UAE: rose in the ranking from 14th place in 2020 to 5th in 2025 due to the active development of smart governance.

The top ten also includes cities we have previously featured in our digests: Singapore, Copenhagen, Helsinki, London, and Barcelona. Common features of these cities include advanced digital infrastructure (5G, IoT, digital twins), integrated mobility, transparent governance, and a strong focus on quality of life.

Zurich: how to maintain leadership for five consecutive years?

Zurich has held first place in the IMD Smart City Index since 2019, with scores significantly above average in nearly every category. Here is why:

• One of the city’s most impressive innovations is the creation of a fully developed digital twin. Population growth presents Zurich with numerous challenges, and its AI-based counterpart serves as a critical database for analyzing these processes — for example, enabling the visualization and testing of new construction projects before their implementation.
• Augmented reality (AR) in urban planning: the city’s planning department uses AR glasses to visualize underground utilities. Zurich also offers guided tours for tourists featuring visualizations of future development projects.
• A 3D road map and LoRaWAN support more efficient public and transport services. The map provides the city administration with precise real-time knowledge of road conditions, significantly saving time. Meanwhile, the extensive LoRa network forms the foundation for smart city and IoT technologies, including air quality and water level monitoring, parking management, and more.
• Zurich has one of the most efficient public transport systems in the world. Its smart mobility initiatives integrate trams, buses, trains, and electric scooters into a single network accessible through one digital platform.

The city also actively digitalizes administrative services and uses data to improve urban infrastructure management, continues experimenting with micromobility, and positions itself as an event hub: developing digital services for conferences and business tourism, testing AI for content personalization for participants, and more.

Oslo: a laboratory of environmental and data-driven urbanism

A city that transforms ambitious climate goals into concrete technological solutions — from EV infrastructure to smart lighting and low-carbon buildings — rightfully ranks second among the world’s smartest cities. Oslo is an example of a unique combination of environmental sustainability, technological innovation, and inclusivity:

• Electric vehicles in Norway’s capital now account for 40% of privately owned cars, and as early as 2024, 90% of new car sales were electric. The city’s cycling network extends over 50 kilometers, providing residents with extensive opportunities for active mobility.
• Oslo has become a pioneer in clean construction: the city established a construction site operated exclusively by zero-emission machinery. It also actively promotes the circular reuse of materials in the construction industry in Oslo and surrounding areas, including through the startup Ombygg and the non-profit organization Circular Resource Center.
• One of the key drivers of the Norwegian capital’s transformation is the connection between public authorities and private initiative. Smart Oslo Accelerator is an initiative of the Municipality of Oslo and Oslo Business Region, created to foster dialogue between the city administration and the startup community.

Overall, Norway’s capital is a strong example of how a “green” strategy combined with business participation shapes a new standard for urban living and climate adaptation.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi: AI transformation in action

The United Arab Emirates is emerging as a global hub for artificial intelligence and smart technologies, demonstrating that ambitious vision and large-scale investment can rapidly transform cities.

• Dubai: is home to the DubaiNow app — the city’s digital hub (often referred to as a “super app”), which allows residents and visitors to manage nearly all everyday matters in one place.

Since 2018, the Oyoon surveillance system has also been operating — a large-scale initiative by Dubai Police that uses artificial intelligence and integrates more than 300,000 surveillance cameras across the city to help prevent crime.

• Abu Dhabi: has set an ambitious goal — to automate 100% of government operations by 2027. The city активно implements AI, IoT, and data-driven systems for public services, environmental management, and citizen engagement. In particular, the TAMM platform integrates all services into a single ecosystem and enables access to 90% of services within minutes. 

Both cities are developing innovative testing centers for autonomous transport, based in Masdar City (Abu Dhabi) and Dubai Silicon Oasis, where artificial intelligence manages traffic in real urban conditions. These projects position the UAE as a global leader in mobility, combining the eco-city of the future, Masdar, with large-scale networks of autonomous taxis and trucks in Dubai.

Top 3 events in the smart city sector