A Great Connected City

Sunderland is a digitally connected city that is forging a new direction to live, learn, earn and play.  Named as Smart City of the Year in 2020, we continue to build a healthy, happy city with a vibrant cultural offer. 

We are digitally transforming Sunderland by equipping individuals and businesses with the digital means to transform their capabilities and boost competitiveness.  Digital investment sits at the heart of our City Plan. It is crucial to Covid-19 recovery and in our ambitious growth plans to continue to attract inward investment into Sunderland. 

Sunderland - A Recognised Smart City

Sunderland is already recognised as a digital leader, topping the Digital Leaders 100 List in the national competition that celebrates digital transformation. 

Through progressive and strategic investment into our leading 5G connectivity infrastructure, we continue to nurture collaborative partnerships between industry, healthcare providers and educators to ensure we can thrive as an urban centre of the future. 

Our Vision

Our vision for our smart city includes the installation of 2.6km of fibre ducting into the entire length of the Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor 3 (SSTC3) - a continuous dual carriageway link between the A19 and the Port of Sunderland, with SSTC3 sitting between the Northern Spire and the city centre. This is bolstering our digital infrastructure to support forthcoming business and residential developments across the city. 

The rapid development of our City Plan underpins this  modern transport and digital infrastructure, 5G rollout across the city and numerous projects enabling the city to overcome both social and economic challenges for years to come. 

The creation of smart homes, our Riverside Sunderland Masterplan and world-leading initiatives using assistive technology and IoT to deliver life-changing opportunities and greater independence to our residents, all contribute to Sunderland's journey to become a dynamic, healthy and vibrant international city. 

Find out more about Sunderland Our Smart City and our key successes in connecting people and places to enable smarter systems and increased opportunities, transforming the ways in which we exist for a healthy, dynamic and vibrant experience for all.