Seattle, WA

Seattle, home to Amazon, Microsoft, and a slew of other tech firms, was yet another city to achieve a BBB rating from the Global Smart City Index 2020. Residents appreciate the fact that job-search resources are freely accessible and that they can easily submit input on local government projects. Seattle is yet another American city that ranks far higher than the global average in terms of cultural activities.

Best smart initiative: The Food Rescue Innovation Labs, a Seattle Pacific University program backed by the Seattle City Council's Innovation Advisory Council, is developing software to give real-time, open-access information regarding surplus food, transportation choices, and other food rescue issues. Last-mile organizations (local meal programs and food banks), as well as food-related enterprises as possible donors, are among the app's potential users.