The top 10 smart cities

IMD Business School in Singapore has just presented its first
edition of the worldwide ‘Smart City Index 2019,’ which ranks 102
cities.

The index ranks cities based on their integration of smart
technology.

While some of the top contenders are to be expected, there are
also some surprising omissions from the top of the list.

RELATED: THE TECHNOLOGIES BUILDING
THE SMART CITIES OF THE FUTURE^[1]

The top 10 smart cities

The IMD World
Competitiveness Center’^[2]s Smart City Observatory
released the index^[3]
in partnership with Singapore University of
Technology and Design^[4] (SUTD).

“Being a globally-recognized ‘smart’ city is now critical for
attracting investment and talent, creating a potential ‘virtuous
cycle’ in favor of an advanced group of cities,” IMD said in their
press release^[5].

The Top 10 smartest cities can be seen below 2019:

1. Singapore
2. Zurich
3. Oslo
4. Geneva
5. Copenhagen
6. Auckland
7. Taipei City
8. Helsinki
9. Bilbao
10. Dusseldorf

Notably, London (20th) and San Francisco (12th) aren’t in the
list of the top 10. In Spain, meanwhile, Bilbao is ahead of tech
hub Barcelona (48th).

As the IMD release says, the index “focuses on how citizens
perceive the scope and impact of efforts to make their cities
‘smart’, balancing ‘economic and technological aspects’ with
‘humane dimensions.'”

Poorer cities falling behind

The IMD World Competitiveness Center^[6] points out that some
cities might fall behind, as smart cities become more innovative,
and in doing so, find it easier to innovate even further.

This loop bears similarities, and indeed is connected to,
Ray Kurzweil^[7]‘s idea of ‘the
Singularity’ that some predict will be brought on by
artificial intelligence^[8].

There is a need to work with poorer cities to help them keep up
with the rest, IMD representatives say.

“Smart cities are growing and blossoming in all parts of the
world. Economic realities cannot be ignored: cities in poorer
countries face disadvantages, which will require specific actions
to correct along the path towards smartness,” states
Professor Arturo Bris^[9], Director of the IMD
World Competitiveness Center.