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Journalism of Courage
Smart Cities Rankings 2024: “The mark of a great city isn’t how it treats its special places—everybody does that right, but how it treats its ordinary ones.” – Aaron M. Renn
The global landscape of smart cities is transforming, albeit at a slower pace compared to recent years. Cities, like other economic agents, must design and adopt strategies that can withstand the test of a future fraught with growing uncertainties.
The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) defines a smart city as “an urban setting that applies technology to enhance the benefits and diminish the shortcomings of urbanisation for its citizens.” According to the 2024 Smart City Index released by IMD in April, smart cities in Europe and Asia are gaining ground globally, while North American cities have slipped in the rankings.
The top-performing cities have developed initiatives that cater to the overall quality of life of their citizens, focusing on the creation of green spaces, the expansion of cultural events, and the promotion of social bonding, as per the report.
In addition, innovative strategies are to attract and retain talent, foster investment, and tackle long-standing issues regarding geographical inequalities and inclusion, with a holistic approach contributing to success in the rankings. the report stated.
Ranking about 142 smart cities worldwide, IMD shares the top 10 smartest cities in the world and how the infrastructure and technology available in the cities are impacting their performance and the quality of life of their inhabitants.
| Rank | City | Country |
| 1 | Zurich | Switzerland |
| 2 | Oslo | Norway |
| 3 | Canberra | Australia |
| 4 | Geneva | Switzerland |
| 5 | Singapore | Singapore |
| 6 | Copenhagen | Denmark |
| 7 | Lausanne | Switzerland |
| 8 | London | United Kingdom |
| 9 | Helsinki | Finland |
| 10 | Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates |
Source: IMD
Notably, four of India’s largest metropolitan cities have made it to the list, though not amongst the top performers: Delhi (rank: 106), Mumbai (rank: 107), Bengaluru (rank: 109), and Hyderabad (rank: 111).
The Government of India, under the Union Ministry of Urban Development and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched the National Smart Cities Mission on June 25, 2015. The mission aims to develop citizen-friendly and sustainable smart cities across the country.
As of November 10, ministry data showed Surat (Gujarat) was at the top in terms of completion of projects, fund usage, and other criteria. This was followed by Agra (UP), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Varanasi (UP), and Bhopal (MP) in the top five. The rest of the top 10 include Tumakuru (Karnataka), Udaipur (Rajasthan), Madurai (TN), Kota (Rajasthan), and Shivamogga (Karnataka).
On the other hand, the Union Territories and cities in the Northeastern region are still lagging. The bottom 10 cities are Kavaratti (Lakshadweep), Puducherry, Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Imphal (Manipur), Shillong (Meghalaya), Diu, Guwahati (Assam), Aizawl (Mizoram), Gangtok (Sikkim), and Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh).
