KHALEEJ TIMES, Saturday, Sep 19, 2020 | Safar 02, 1442
Abu Dhabi, Dubai ranked smartest cities in Middle East
Emirates:
Abu Dhabi and Dubai have emerged as the smartest cities in the region,
with the UAE capital jumping 14 spots to rank 42nd globally in a new index.
Over the past 12 months, Abu Dhabi has made a significant improvement in the
Institute for Management Development's (IMD) 2020 Smart City Index, after having
ranked 56th last year. Dubai, meanwhile, rose two places up to 43rd. The index
ranks cities based on economic and technological data, as well as by their
citizens' perceptions of how "smart" their cities are.
The IMD released the second edition of the index in collaboration with Singapore
University for Technology and Design (SUTD) with key findings on how technology
is playing a role in the Covid-19 era. Globally, Singapore, Helsinki and Zurich
have come out on top in the index in a year that saw many European cities fall
in the rankings.
According to the IESE Cities in Motion Index, New York, London and Paris are the
three top ranking smart cities in the world. Hundreds of citizens from 109
countries were surveyed and asked questions on the technological provisions of
their city across five key areas: Health and safety, mobility, activities,
opportunities and governance. Reflected in this year's rankings is that cities
have ever differing approaches to technology as managing the pandemic has become
increasingly important in local politics.
"We cannot ignore the impact of Covid," said IMD Professor Arturo Bris, who led
the work of the ranking as the director of the World Competitiveness Centre at
the Swiss management institute that is behind it.
"Those with better technology manage the pandemic better. Smart cities are not
the solution, but technology helps," he said.
"Smart cities closer to the top of the rankings seem to deal with unexpected
challenges of the devastating pandemic with a better outcome," said Professor
Heng Chee Chan, chairperson of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at
SUTD.
This year's rankings also highlighted the ability of countries to develop cities
beyond their capital. In the 2020 rankings, Bilbao fares better than Madrid, and
Birmingham this year improved by 12 positions whereas London jumped just five.
City economies like Hong Kong and Singapore, and to some extent the UAE, may be
at a disadvantage because they are less able to develop second cities, Bris
said.
"Countries are no longer economic units," said Bris.
Mayors and local authorities increasingly have the power to improve the
well-being of citizens by implementing technology. "The American city of Boston
is a good example of how management of its city by its mayor makes a big
difference," Bris said.
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