Auckland fell from 15th to 31st in the IMD Smart City Index between 2020 and 2024, and from first to tenth in the Global Liveability Index between 2021 and 2023. Tenth is still a commendable position, and rankings are imperfect instruments. But a sustained slide across two independent measures deserves attention rather than dismissal.
The IMD index is unusual because it asks residents, not experts, how their city performs. When Aucklanders were asked to choose the most urgent priorities from a list of fifteen, affordable housing and road congestion stood far above the rest, chosen by 84.5 and 64.4 percent of respondents. Health services, security and unemployment followed some distance behind.
That pattern is the real lesson. A smart city is not one with the most sensors or the most apps; it is one that uses data and technology to address the problems residents actually feel. Auckland has made genuine progress in digital public services and in parts of its transport system, which shows what is possible. The task now is to point that capability at housing supply, travel times and access to services.
Doing so requires institutions that work together. Housing, transport and infrastructure in Auckland are governed by different agencies with different funding and timelines, and much of the data that could inform better decisions sits in separate systems. Integration, through shared data platforms and joint planning, is less visible than a new app but far more consequential.
Becoming a resilient, citizen centred and sustainable city now depends on scaling the gains already made, with data and technology deployed in service of residents’ priorities rather than as ends in themselves.
Context
The note drew on the IMD Smart City Index, which surveys residents on their city’s performance and priorities, and on the Global Liveability Index. It connects with his work on urban digital twins for Auckland and with the School’s smart mobility research.