Moscow has moved up 16 places in the IMD Smart City Index

The Russian capital has overtaken Brussels, Paris and Tokyo.

Moscow took 56th place in the Smart City Index rating of the Swiss business school IMD. In 2020 the Moscow moved up by 16 positions and overtook Brussels, Paris and Tokyo, said Vladimir Yefimov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Economic Policy and Property and Land Relations.

“In the IMD rating, which was released for the second time in 2020, residents of 109 cities assessed the quality of life and its improvement due to digitalization. The top five rankings include Singapore, Helsinki, Zurich, Auckland and Oslo. Riyadh, Kuala Lumpur, Warsaw, Ankara, Tallinn are close to Moscow in Smart City Index,” said Vladimir Yefimov.
 

Digitalization is one of the main streams of the national project "Digital Economy in Russia". In recent years, Moscow has been introducing advanced digital technologies in all spheres of economic activity and everyday life. Many city services can be obtained online, a smart ticket system for transport has been created, and various electronic payment services operate. This makes life for the Moscovites comfortable and saves time.

The change in the position of the Russian capital in the Smart City Index is another confirmation of the effectiveness of the Moscow Government's policy in the field of digitalization, emphasized Eduard Lysenko, Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the City Department of Information Technology.

“Improving the quality of life and doing business are the key tasks that the Moscow Government is guided by when implementing IT solutions in the urban economy, economy and social sphere. Technologies make the capital more comfortable and safer, give citizens the opportunity to receive all the necessary services online, making it easier to interact with the city. Therefore, it is especially important that residents see and celebrate the positive changes that are taking place in the city due to digitalization,” said Eduard Lysenko.

Compared to last year, Moscovites gave a higher rating to the impact of digitalization on everyday life in almost all respects. In particular, they noted the high level of online services that help entrepreneurs create a business. In addition, it has become easier for city dwellers to find work thanks to online employment services and to receive medical services through an online appointment with a doctor.

“During the phase of the pandemic, citizens and businesses could electronically apply for subsidies and receive other government support. The development of car-sharing services reduces traffic congestion, and applications for finding parking spaces reduce travel time around the city, and according to the latter indicator, Moscow occupies a leading position,” said Kirill Purtov, Minister of the Moscow Government, Head of the City Department of Economic Policy and Development.

“We are constantly improving the provision of electronic services and services for entrepreneurs. This is one of the most prepared for digitalization categories of applicants, since most of them already have a qualified electronic signature, which is required to receive services on the mos.ru portal. Currently, more than 93,000 personal accounts of legal entities are registered on mos.ru, they have access to more than 190 electronic services and services in various areas of the municipal economy, including the full cycle of services in the construction sector implemented in electronic form. In addition, 96 percent of services in the sphere of property and land relations, 80 percent of services in the transport sector, 100 percent of services in the field of advertising and many others have been transferred to electronic form. In addition, we do not forget about the quality of the provision of these services and are constantly improving it by means of their modernization,” said Alexander Pischelko, head of the New Management Technologies State Institution.

 The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) is one of the most prestigious business schools. The Smart City Index has been published since 2019 in cooperation with the Singapore University of Technology and Design. This is the only rating of the level of digitalization of cities, which is compiled taking into account the opinion of citizens.