Singapore takes the second spot on the Smart Cities Index, right behind Copenhagen

Photo: Pixabay
Photo: Pixabay

A global study has found that Singapore is among the top cities in the world at the forefront of digital evolution, proving the massive progress made in its drive to be the world’s first Smart Nation.

That is if Copenhagen doesn’t beat us to the punch first. According to the 2017 Smart Cities Index produced by European parking app EasyPark, the Danish capital is found to be the ultimate smart city, with Singapore trailing close behind at second place.

Though the concept of a smart city is not easily clear-cut, the research factored in elements such as the availability of 4G, Wi-Fi hotspots, traffic sensors and car sharing apps. Clean energy, internet speeds, high smartphone usage and excellent online access to governmental services were also considered alongside expert opinion from over 20,000 technology and urban planning journalists.

Copenhagen is ranked at the top for scoring particularly high marks in terms of smart parking, smart buildings, robust business ecosystems and smartphone penetration. Runners-up Singapore scored the maximum points possible for aspects such as public transport, citizen participation in government services, but fared poorly in things such as traffic, clean energy, and education in governance. We do have very good 4G LTE reception and lightning-fast internet speeds though, and that’s probably why most experts consider Singapore as the ultimate smart city.

Table: EasyPark

Cities like Stockholm, Zurich, Boston trailed close behind at the third, fourth and fifth position respectively, with Tokyo being the only other Asian city making it to the top 10 list at number six. The study also revealed some fascinating tidbits about the world’s online consumption, like how the Romanian capital of Bucharest has faster internet speeds than the likes of New York and Los Angeles or the fact that Luxembourg has a higher smartphone penetration than South Korean cities.

Though Singapore is well on track to be the smartest city in the world, the digitization of everything has made it vulnerable to hackers. Earlier this year, a breach in the internet-connected system of the Ministry of Defence resulted in the theft of personal data of 850 personnel, though no classified military data was stolen.



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