The latest Swiss Smart City Survey 2024 shows that smaller cities in particular are increasingly investing in smart solutions and seeking to catch up with the digital transformation. The focus is on digitalization, sustainability, citizen centricity, co-creation and participation.
In total, cities and municipalities registered 403 projects in the six dimensions of smart governance, smart environment, smart mobility, smart people, smart living and smart economy. The Smart Environment area grew particularly strongly with 97 projects, including numerous projects on renewable energies, especially photovoltaics.
Despite this positive development, many projects are still in their infancy: Almost 80% of the 124 cities and municipalities surveyed are outside of a structured smart city process or only in an early pilot phase. According to Vicente Carabias, Head of Sustainable Energy Systems and Smart Cities at the ZHAW, this offers enormous development potential for science and companies that can contribute to the development of smart infrastructures.
Read the ZHAW press release from August 27, 2025: Swiss Smart City Survey: Small cities show growing interest in the topic of smart cities.
Further detailed data, final reports, city factsheets and an interactive dashboard can be found online: Swiss Smart City Survey.
Vicente Carabias was a guest on our Schampar digital podcast in April and spoke about the concept of smart cities. This is not just about digital solutions, but about intelligent approaches that make cities and communities fit for the future. From sustainable mobility and more green spaces to more efficient energy use and social innovations such as ride-sharing apps or digital neighborhood networks. Smaller municipalities also benefit, as smart concepts save resources and improve quality of life in the long term.
The Swiss Smart City Outreach project is being funded in the 1st Outreach Call and aims to promote the implementation of smart city initiatives through information dissemination, knowledge transfer and networking, thereby contributing to the development of smart, sustainable cities and municipalities in Switzerland.