Moscow ranks 56th in the Smart City Index ranking by the IMD Swiss business school. This year Moscow moved up 16 positions leaving Brussels, Paris and Tokyo behind, said Vladimir Yefimov, Moscow Deputy Mayor for Economic Policy, Property and Land Relations, cited by Moscow Mayor’s website. “In the IMD rankings, the residents of 109 cities evaluated the quality of life and improvements due to digitalization. Among the top five were Singapore, Helsinki, Zurich, Auckland and Oslo. Moscow is now close to Riyadh, Kuala Lumpur, Warsaw, Ankara and Tallinn,” Yefimov said.
Digitalization is one of the key goals of the Russia’s Digital Economy national project. Over the past few years, Moscow has been implementing advanced digital technologies in all areas of economic activity and everyday life. Many municipal services can be obtained online; a smart ticketing system has been created for public transit; there are various electronic payment services. All of this makes the life of Moscow residents easier and saves their time.
According to Eduard Lysenko, Moscow Government Minister and Head of the Department of Information Technology, “Improvements in the quality of life and business activity are a key objective the Moscow Government looks to achieve when implementing IT solutions in urban development, the economy and social services. Technologies make the capital friendlier and safer, they provide people with the opportunity to use services online while making interaction with the city easier. Therefore, it is especially important that people see and take note of the positive changes that are progressing in the city through digitalization.”
Compared to 2019, Moscow residents have shown more appreciation for digitalization in everyday life in all poll categories. In particular, they praised the online services that help entrepreneurs create a new business. In addition, it is now easier for them to find a job thanks to online job services, and receive medical treatment using online doctor’s appointments.
“During the peak of the pandemic, both individuals and businesses were able to apply online for government subsidies and receive other kinds of state support. The development of car-sharing services eases the traffic jams, while mobile parking apps reduce travel time about the city. By the way, Moscow is a leader in the latter category,” Kirill Purtov, Moscow Government Minister and Head of the Department of Economic Policy and Development, noted.
“We are constantly improving our online services including services for entrepreneurs. This is one of the more prepared groups for digitalization because most of them already have the electronic signature that is a prerequisite to receive services on the Moscow government’s portal. The portal currently has over 93K registered legal entities that can use over 190 e-services and services in various spheres of municipal economy, including a full cycle of electronic services in construction. In addition, 96% of services in property and land relations, 80% of transport services and 100% of advertising services can be used online. We also keep in mind the quality of these services and are constantly improving it,” Alexander Pishchelko, CEO of New Management Technologies , said.