// CITY_ASSESSMENT
How smart is Kiel?
Kiel scores 48.2% against the DC20 smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #121 of 213 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.
Smart score
48.2%
Rank
#121 / 213
Criteria present
32 / 82
Evidence coverage
56.1%
Kiel's smart city score by area
5 present · 2 partial · 0 absent · 14 not assessed
8 present · 4 partial · 0 absent · 4 not assessed
6 present · 3 partial · 2 absent · 6 not assessed
8 present · 5 partial · 1 absent · 6 not assessed
5 present · 0 partial · 0 absent · 3 not assessed
Where Kiel is strong
- ▸Digital Government / e-Services
- ▸Integrated Multimodal Mobility (MaaS)
- ▸EV & Active-Travel Infrastructure
- ▸Resilience & Climate Adaptation
- ▸Outcome Measurement & KPIs
Where the gaps are
- ▸Pervasive IoT Sensing
- ▸Air-Quality & Climate Monitoring
- ▸Citizen Engagement & Participation
- ▸City Data Platform / Urban Data Exchange
- ▸Smart Water & Waste
Evidence highlights
Open Data by Default · Official open data portal
The city of Kiel publishes data on the official open data portal of Schleswig-Holstein, specifically under the 'publisher/landeshauptstadt-kiel' section.
https://opendata.schleswig-holstein.de/publisher/landeshauptstadt-kielSmart Energy & Buildings · District heating/cooling
Kiel has a district heating network, with the Küstenkraftwerk (coastal power plant) operated by Stadtwerke Kiel securing the heat supply for the city.
https://www.stadtwerke-kiel.de/ueber-uns/kuestenkraftwerk/technikSmart Energy & Buildings · Local renewables & targets
Stadtwerke Kiel has committed to making its Küstenkraftwerk climate-neutral by using green hydrogen, aiming to be the world's first large-engine combined heat and power plant to do so.
https://www.jenbacher.com/de/referenzen/kuestenkraftwerk-kiel-ger/Digital Government / e-Services · Digital identity
Residents of Kiel can use the BundID, a federal digital identity system, to securely access online government services and prove their identity.
https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/bundidAbout this assessment
Kiel was assessed against the 82 criteria of the DC20 smart city framework on 2026-06-26 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.