New York, NY

New York has an unrivaled ability to invest in creating a smart city being the largest American urban area by population (more than 18 million) and GDP ($1.8 trillion, equivalent to the whole country of Canada). This is evidenced by the fact that it was one of just two American cities to receive an A rating from the Global Smart City Index 2020. (7 cities, all of them outside the U.S., received AAA or AA ratings).

According to a poll of inhabitants of New York and more than 100 other major international cities conducted by the Global Smart City Index (GSCI), New York is one of the best cities for internet speed and reliability, traffic congestion information via mobile phones, and cultural events.

Best smart initiative: The city recently began a pilot program in which hundreds of smart sensors were put to monitor waste levels. In a separate trial, it outfitted 5 city fleet vehicles with solar-powered sensors to collect and compare air quality data in several South Bronx districts.