BENCHMARKING BEST PRACTICES OF TOP-RANKED CITIES FOR HIGH LIVABILITY AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

This article presents a comparative analysis of international benchmarking systems and their application to assessing urban livability and citizen engagement. The research examines key global indices – Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Mercer, PwC, TUWIEN Smart City Model, MIT Treepedia, and the National League of Cities (NLC) – to identify dominant trends and classification models of city benchmarking. Four major types of benchmarking practices were defined: multi-factor indices, single-indicator rankings, thematic analytical reviews, and diagnostic metrics. An empirical case study of Almaty, Kazakhstan, demonstrates the adaptation of international practices to the local context. Between 2020 and 2023, over 1,500 participatory projects were implemented under the Participatory Budget program, primarily in urban greening, infrastructure, and public safety. The findings show that digital governance platforms (Open Almaty, iKomek, Almaty Urban Center) enhance civic participation but remain limited by unequal digital access. The study concludes that benchmarking serves as an effective governance and evaluation tool for improving urban livability and inclusiveness. The Almaty case illustrates the potential of combining global best practices, data-driven governance, and participatory approaches to foster sustainable urban transformation.

1. Acuto, M. Taking urban rankings seriously: Engaging with the practice of city benchmarking in global urbanism. IJURR. (2021).

2. Shin, Y., Park, J., Lee, S. A systematic analysis of digital tools for citizen participation. Government Information Quarterly, 41(3),102092 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2024.102092. URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740624X24000467 .

3. Asimakopoulos, G., Chatzidimitriou, K., Theodoridis, P. Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Democratic Processes and Citizen Participation. Societies,15(2), 40 (2025). https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15020040. URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/2/40 .

4. Leclercq, B., Rijshouwer E. Enabling citizens’ right to the smart city through the co-creation of digital platforms.Urban Transformations, 4(1), 10 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42854-022-00030-y. URL: https://urbantransformations.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42854-022-00030-y .

5. E-government mechanisms to enhance the participation of citizens.Technology in Society, 70, 101988 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.101988. URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X22001191 .

6. Santini, R. Online platforms for citizen participation: meta-synthesis of case studies. Communications, 41(2) (2019). URL: https://journals.openedition.org/cs/1917.

7. Tleppayev, A. Digitalisation and energy: world experience and evidence of correlation from Kazakhstan. Economic Annals-XXI, 176(3–4), 56–64 (2019). https://doi.org/10.21003/ea.V176-06.

8. Digel, I., Mussabalina, D., Urdabayev, M., Nurmukhametov, N., Akparova, A. Evaluating development prospects of smart cities: cluster analysis of Kazakhstan’s regions. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 20(4), 76–87 (2022). https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.20(4).2022.07.

9. UN-Habitat. World Cities Report 2020: The Value of Sustainable Urbanization. Nairobi: United Nations Human Settlements Programme, 2020.

10. Corporate Knights. 2023 Sustainable Cities Index Report. Toronto: Corporate Knights, 2023. URL: https://www.corporateknights.com.

11. World Economic Forum. The Urban Mobility Scorecard Tool 2023. Geneva: WEF, 2023. URL: https://www3.weforum.org .

12. Milken Institute. Best-Performing Cities 2024. Santa Monica: Milken Institute, 2024. URL: https://milkeninstitute.org .

13. Resonance Consultancy. World Best Cities Report 2024.Vancouver: Resonance Consultancy, 2024. URL: https://www.baeventures.com .

14. Economist Impact. Resilient Cities Index 2023. London: Economist Group, 2023. URL: https://www.preventionweb.net .

15. City of Almaty Budget Portalю URL: https://budget.open-almaty.kz (accessed: 02.10.2025).

16. Open Almaty. Official portal of the city of Almaty. URL: https://open-almaty.kz (accessed: October 28, 2025).

17. Akimat of Almaty. Annual reports on the implementation of the “Participatory Budget” project for 2020–2023. Almaty: Official website of the Akimat, 2020–2023. URL: https://almaty.gov.kz (accessed: October 28, 2025).

18. Urban Forum Kazakhstan. Analytical reports on urban development and citizen engagement. URL: https://urbanforum.kz (02.10.2025).

19. AlmatyBike. Public Bicycle Sharing System Overview. URL: https://almatybike.kz.

20. Almaty City Transport Department. Transition to Electric Public Transport: Strategy and Implementation 2022–2025.Almaty: City Mobility Office. URL: https://alatransit.kz .

21. Akimat of Almaty. Green Almaty Program Implementation Report, 2021–2023. Almaty: Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Regulation. URL: https://almaty.gov.kz .

22. IQAir. 2023 World Air Quality Report. URL: https://www.iqair.com/world-air-quality-report.

23. Urban Forum Kazakhstan. Recommendations for sustainable urban mobility in Almaty. URL: https://urbanforum.kz.

24. Rahbarianyazd, R. Human-Centric Smart Cities for Inclusive and Ethical Urban Development. Smart Design Policies, 1(1),15–22 (2024). https://doi.org/10.38027/smart-v1n1-3.

25. Noori, N., Hoppe, T., & de Jong, M. (2020). Classifying Pathways for Smart City Development: Comparing Design, Governance and Implementation in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Sustainability, 12(10), 4030. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104030.