Four Indian cities New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru have witnessed a significant drop in their rankings in the Global Smart City Index. Singapore topped the list.
The Institute for Management Development collaborated with Singapore University for Technology and Design and released the 2020 Smart City Index. Some key findings also included how technology is playing a role in the Covid-19 word.
The Rankings of the Indian Cities in Global Smart City Index
In the 2020 Smart City Index, Hyderabad is placed at the 85th position down from 67 in 2019, New Delhi at 86th rank down from 68 in 2019, Mumbai at 93rd place down from 78 in 2019, and Bengaluru at 95th down from 79 in 2019. According to the report, the drops in the ranking can be attributed to the detrimental effect that the pandemic has had where the technological advancement was not up to date. Also, according to the report, the Indian cities have suffered more from the pandemic because they were not prepared.
From the 15 indicators that the respondents perceive as the priority areas for their city, all four Indian cities showed air pollution as one of the key areas that they felt their city needed to prioritize on.
According to the reports cities like Bangalore and Mumbai showed road congestion. While for Delhi and Hyderabad it was basic amenities. Singapore topped the smart city index, followed by Helsinki and Zurich in the second and third places respectively. Others in the top 10 list include Auckland, Oslo, Copenhagen, Geneva, Taipei City, Amsterdam, and New York. They were placed from 4th to 10th places respectively.
What is a Smart City?
According to Smart City Index, Smart City describes an urban setting that applies technology to enhance the benefits and diminish the shortcomings of urbanization.
In April and May 2020, citizens from 109 cities took part in a survey. Questions on the technical provisions of their city across five key areas were part of the survey. The areas include health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities, and also governance. According to the report, cities have ever differing approaches to technology. Managing the pandemic has also become increasingly important in local politics.
According to IMD’s Professor Arturo Bris, who led the work of the ranking, the impact of Covid-19 cannot be ignored. Those with better technologies managed the pandemic better. He explained that smart cities are not the solution, but technology helps. Professor Heng Chee Chan, Chairperson of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at SUTD, also added that smart cities closer to the top of the rankings seem to deal with the unexpected challenges of the devastating pandemic with a better outcome.
