// CITY_ASSESSMENT
How smart is Houston?
Houston scores 51.3% against the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #111 of 297 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.
Smart score
51.3%
Rank
#111 / 297
Criteria present
38 / 86
Evidence coverage
58.1%
Houston's smart city score by area
7 present · 5 partial · 1 absent · 2 not assessed
6 present · 0 partial · 3 absent · 3 not assessed
5 present · 1 partial · 1 absent · 6 not assessed
5 present · 1 partial · 3 absent · 2 not assessed
7 present · 3 partial · 3 absent
1 present · 2 partial · 2 absent · 3 not assessed
7 present · 0 partial · 3 absent · 4 not assessed
Where Houston is strong
- ▸Housing & Urban Planning
- ▸Climate Adaptation & Heat
- ▸Green Space & Biodiversity
- ▸Health & Digital Health
- ▸Open Data & Transparency
Where the gaps are
- ▸Active & Shared Mobility
- ▸Energy & Smart Grid
- ▸Solid Waste & Circular Economy
- ▸Food Security & Urban Agriculture
- ▸Governance & Smart-City Operating Model
Evidence highlights
Digital Government Services · Online payments for taxes & fees
The City of Houston allows residents to pay traffic tickets and water bills online, as indicated by its eGovernment Center and Services page.
https://www.houstontx.gov/Digital Government Services · Citizen reporting / 311 channel
Houston has a 3-1-1 service, with an email address 311@houstontx.gov and a dedicated online portal at my311.houstontx.gov for citizen requests.
https://www.houstontx.gov/services/Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure · City IoT / sensor network
The Things Network Community in Houston is actively working to provide Internet of Things data connectivity to the Greater Houston area by crowdsourcing the network and adding LoRa gateways, with 4 gateways and 36 contributors reported.
https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/community/houston/Public Transport & Real-Time Information · Public transport network
Houston operates a public transit network including local bus services, Park & Ride buses, and a METRORail light rail system with Red, Green, and Purple lines.
https://www.ridemetro.org/About this assessment
Houston was assessed against the 86 criteria of the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework on 2026-07-10 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. Scores refresh continuously as cities publish new evidence.