// CITY_ASSESSMENT

How smart is Preston?

Preston, United Kingdom, scores 38% against the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #70 of 75 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.

Smart score

38%

Rank

#70 / 75

Criteria present

29 / 86

Evidence coverage

43%

Preston's smart city score by area

Data, Digital & Smart Foundation56%

4 present · 2 partial · 3 absent · 6 not assessed

Mobility & Transport56%

4 present · 2 partial · 3 absent · 3 not assessed

Environment, Energy & Climate75%

4 present · 1 partial · 1 absent · 7 not assessed

Infrastructure, Water & Waste88%

7 present · 0 partial · 1 absent · 3 not assessed

Health, Education, Safety & Inclusion64%

7 present · 0 partial · 4 absent · 2 not assessed

Economy, Innovation & Employment67%

2 present · 0 partial · 1 absent · 5 not assessed

Governance, Resilience & Operating Model50%

1 present · 3 partial · 1 absent · 9 not assessed

Where Preston is strong

  • Green Space & Biodiversity
  • Public Transport & Real-Time Information
  • Water & Sanitation
  • Air Quality & Monitoring
  • Housing & Urban Planning

Where the gaps are

  • Disaster Risk & Resilience
  • Urban Data Platform & Digital Twin
  • Open Data & Transparency
  • Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure
  • Active & Shared Mobility

Evidence highlights

Digital Government Services · Unified online services portal

Preston City Council operates an online account portal for residents to access municipal services.

https://account.preston.gov.uk/

Digital Government Services · Online payments for taxes & fees

Preston City Council offers an online portal for making payments for various services.

https://www.preston.gov.uk/payments

Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure · Fibre / high-speed broadband coverage

CityFibre is investing £30 million to deploy full-fibre infrastructure in Preston.

https://cityfibre.com/news/cityfibre-gets-to-work-on-future-proofing-prestons-digital-foundations-with-30m-full-fibre-investment

Green Space & Biodiversity · Green space provision

Preston has a 'Preston parks and green spaces strategy,' indicating a focus on green space provision.

https://www.preston.gov.uk/article/4749/Preston-parks-and-green-spaces-strategy

About this assessment

Preston was assessed against the 86 criteria of the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework on 2026-06-30 by AI agents gathering evidence from official public sources. Each criterion is marked present, partial or absent, and every finding links to where it was found — see how smart cities are measured. Scores refresh continuously as cities publish new evidence.