Manila ranked 94th out of 102 cities in the global Smart City index (SCI) ranking of the IMD World Competitiveness Center.
In the Smart City Observatory report released yesterday, IMD and Singapore University of Technology and Design presented the first edition of the IMD SCI, the only global survey based on citizens’ perceptions.
Only six Southeast Asian cities made it to the citizen-centric list which was topped by Singapore.
Manila was outranked by two Vietnamese cities Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, which ranked 65th and 66th, respectively; Kuala Lumpur, 70th and; Bangkok, 75th.
The ranking reveals the necessity of aligning policy with the lives and needs of citizens.
Being globally-recognized as a “smart” city is now critical for attracting investment and talent, the report noted.
The SCI uniquely focuses on how citizens perceive the scope and impact of efforts to make their cities “smart,” balancing “economic and technological aspects” with “humane dimensions”.
The top 10 smartest cities in 2019 are: Singapore, Zurich, Oslo, Geneva, Copenhagen, Auckland Taipei City, Helsinki, Bilbao and Dusseldorf.