These are the ten smartest cities in the world, according to the IMD.
Anton Aleksenko | Istock | Getty Images
Smart cities in Europe and Asia are gaining ground globally, while North American cities have fallen in the rankings, according to the 2024 Smart Cities Index released in April.
Of the top 10 smart cities on the list, seven were in Europe.
This year’s index was produced by the IMD World Competitiveness Center’s Smart City Observatory in collaboration with the World Organization for Smart and Sustainable Cities (WeGO), based in Seoul, South Korea.
The report ranks 142 smart cities around the world based on data analyzed by researchers, as well as responses to a survey of 120 residents in each city. The study provides insight into the impact of infrastructure and technologies available in a city on the city’s performance and the quality of life of its residents.
So, what is a smart city?
According to the IMD, a smart city is defined as “an urban environment that applies technology to enhance the benefits and decrease the disadvantages of urbanization for its citizens.”
With very few exceptions, the cities in the top 20 are geographically located in areas where social and economic environments are relatively predictable, even in the general context of global uncertainties.
IMD Smart Cities Index 2024
Cities that score well on the list have also developed initiatives that address the overall quality of life of their citizens.
“Such initiatives have focused on developing green spaces and expanding opportunities for cultural events and social connections, for example,” according to the report.
“In the majority of these major cities, such efforts have been combined with innovative strategies to attract and retain talent, selectively foster investment (e.g. in favor of sustainable development), and tackle long-standing problems regarding geographic inequalities and inclusion,” the report said. said.
Here are the top 10 smart cities, according to the 2024 Smart City Index.
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Oslo, Norway
- Canberra, Australia
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Singapore
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Lausanne, Switzerland
- London, England
- Helsinki, Finland
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Notably, for the first time since the index’s inception in 2019, there are no North American cities in the top 20.
“Using three-year rolling averages (that is, comparing a city’s average ranking for the 2021-24 period to that of the 2020-23 period), a significant number of U.S. cities lost of the land,” according to the report.
“This is particularly the case for Washington DC, Denver and Los Angeles (respectively -12, -12 and -11), but also San Francisco (-9), New York (-7) and Chicago (-4 ).”
The highest-ranked US city this year is New York, ranked 34th, followed by Boston, 36th, and Washington DC, 50th.
While European cities dominate the list, Asian cities are also gaining ground.
Here are the top 5 smart cities in Asia:
- Singapore (5th)
- Beijing (13th)
- Taipei City (16th)
- Seoul (17th)
- Shanghai (19th)
Singapore has consistently ranked among the top 10 positions since the index’s inception in 2019. It ranked 7th from 2020 to 2023 – except in 2022, where no rankings were released, and climbed two positions this year.
Taipei City also rose 13 positions over the past year, from 29th in 2023 to 16th this year.
“Cities must design and adopt strategies capable of withstanding the test of a future plagued by increasing uncertainties,” » declared Bruno Lanvin, president of the Smart City Observatory.
“Health concerns remain high, while climate concerns are growing even higher; a mix complicated by the renewed international tensions. Trust and good governance are growing in importance, and the importance of AI in the design and management of cities is set to increase. » he said in the report.
“As counterintuitive as it may seem, Al can help cities become more human-centered,” Lanvin added.
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