The article presents the «Concept of the project of digitalization of urban economy Smart City» adopted by the Ministry of Construction and Housing of the Russian Federation in December 2020 as a basis for the systemic development of smart cities in Russia. Unique methods based on parameters for quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of the changes, such as the urban environment quality index and the city IQ indicators of smart cities are presented. These parameters made it possible to analyze the level of implementation of smart city technologies in Ekaterinburg and to position it as a city with a high rating among Russian cities, with comfortable and safe living conditions for citizens. © 2023 Author(s).