WiredScore, the global certification for digital connectivity and smart technology in real estate, has published its inaugural Global Cities Resilience Index 2026. The Index sets a new international benchmark for digital and cyber resilience across the world’s major urban centers.
Resilience is becoming the defining factor in how cities retain and attract global occupiers. The Index arrives at a time when the built environment is being challenged by rapidly accelerating climate change, digital infrastructure shortfalls, and record-high cybercrime threats.
Data reveals that cybercrime is projected to cost the global economy $23 trillion by 2027, while 75% of organizations are currently operating building management systems (BMS) with known vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, despite the surge in demand for automation, just 5% of occupiers have been able to successfully deploy AI at scale due to building-level constraints.
From a regional perspective, cities in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Middle Eastern regions performed at the highest level. However, Chicago topped the list overall, and Madrid ranked fourth, illustrating that mature markets can significantly enhance their standing through targeted technological infrastructure investment.
“The built environment is no longer just about concrete and steel; it is also a digital ecosystem. Our data shows that we are entering an era where a building’s value is intrinsically linked to its ability to stay online during a crisis,” says William Newton, CEO of WiredScore. “The dominance of cities like Dubai and Singapore is no accident—it is the result of a commitment to future-proofing that landlords and developers in other regions must now emulate to remain competitive.”
The Index’s findings signal that the gap between resilient and non-resilient cities is widening, transforming resilience from a defensive exercise into a critical commercial differentiator. In 2024 alone, more than 150 extreme climate events caused an estimated $1.6 trillion in global losses, underscoring why physical and electrical resilience now sit at the heart of asset performance.
The “flight to quality” is already rewarding resilient assets. In London, WiredScore and SmartScore-certified offices command rent premiums of up to 7.1%, while buildings with robust mobile solutions enjoy vacancy rates up to 50% lower than their competitors. In the US, WiredScore certified properties’ rents are on average $6.50 higher, and are also outperformers in terms of vacancy rates (3.8%) to their non-certified counterparts.
The Index demonstrates that the success of Chicago, Singapore, Dubai, and Madrid is driven by intentional design, regulatory discipline, and forward-thinking investment rather than historical market maturity.
While APAC and the Middle East distinguished themselves regionally, Europe and North America are underperforming structurally. In Europe, aging building stock continues to hinder digital resilience, while cyber resilience is often undermined by the slow adoption of defenses by owners or fragmented regional governmental policies. Chicago and Madrid stand out as notable exceptions, proving that strategic retrofitting and intervention offer a clear pathway to meaningful gains in established markets.
The 2026 Index further reveals a systemic gap in cyber resilience. This lack of preparedness is particularly acute in Operational Technology (OT), where 50% of cyber incidents now occur, yet only half of smart buildings conduct the necessary annual assessments to mitigate these risks.
Physical resilience has also been redefined; a building’s strength is now measured by its ability to function without disruption during a crisis. The Index identifies electrical performance as a critical global weakness. Because power and water failures trigger immediate digital collapses, top-tier assets are moving faster to adapt; the adoption of advanced flood and leak protection has doubled since 2022 to meet this need.
The financial stakes of digital connectivity are now viewed as a material risk rather than a tenant amenity. As the sunsetting of 2G and 3G networks exposes legacy infrastructure, poor connectivity is costing the UK economy £100 billion annually. Meanwhile, research from Signal Boosters shows that in the US, unreliable cellular performance can cost companies up to $8.6 billion per year, with the average employee losing more than 40 hours of productive time annually.
Looking ahead, research from CRE consultancy JLL suggests Artificial Intelligence is acting as the ultimate “force multiplier” for building obsolescence. While 92% of occupiers are currently piloting AI agents as “digital colleagues,” only 5% have achieved their goals due to the physical and digital constraints of their current real estate. With Gartner forecasting that 40% of enterprise software will be AI-driven by the end of 2026, the Index warns that buildings failing to provide the necessary power and connectivity will be rapidly left behind.
