Switzerland has long been celebrated for its mountains, its cuckoo clocks, and its cheese (an AOP Gruyère from Bern just won the title of Best Cheese in the World for the third year in a row). But recently, Switzerland is winning accolades for another, perhaps less well known tradition: innovative urban planning and governance.
For 5 years running, the Smart Cities Index has ranked nearly 150 cities around the world in terms of a series of criteria like technology integration, governance and citizen engagement, sustainability, economic and social infrastructure. And this year, in a field of 142 contenders, three Swiss cities made the top ten: Zurich (#1), Geneva (#4) and Lausanne (#8). Why?
As measured by IMD, the International Institute for Management Development, these cities’ success in the Smart City Index is grounded in several key factors: effective use of technology, strong governance, sustainability, and a citizen-centric approach.
Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne stand out as smart cities by blending technology with community-focused governance. Zurich leads with innovations like electric vehicle-friendly roads and advanced public transport. Lausanne is making waves with its smart energy grids that enhance daily efficiency, while Geneva’s leap in the rankings (up 5 places from last year) is driven by its responsive waste management systems. These cities not only prioritize sustainability – such as Zurich’s green initiatives and Geneva’s renewable energy efforts – but also ensure their citizens are heard, making urban life not just more efficient, but genuinely better for everyone.
This year, two of these same cities appeared among the top 10 cities in the Economist’s Global Liveability Index: Zurich (3rd place) and Geneva (tied for 5th place with Calgary, Canada). And Switzerland ranked number 2 out of 67 countries in IMD’s other ranking, the World Competitiveness Ranking while finishing in the top 10 (9th place) in the World Happiness Report 2024.
Mentioning all these accolades is not just to toot our own alpenhorn. With more than half – 4.5 billion – of the world’s population living in urban areas, city dwelling humans will continue to need to find ways to adapt and thrive amidst the challenges to come. Hopefully, beyond simply getting our city names in the rankings, Swiss cities can serve as global models for future urban development so that others can learn how to integrate technology, strong governance, sustainability, and a focus on quality of life in the ways that are most authentic to them. Until then, in Switzerland we could say “Come for the Gruyère and cuckoo clocks, stay for the innovative urban planning and governance.” It makes for a rather awkward marketing slogan, but it’s just one more reason to love Switzerland.