Top 10: Smart Cities

A Smart City unites advanced technologies with infrastructure development, and sustainability alongside connectivity, to improve the quality of life for locals and business opportunities. 

Here's our pick of the Top 10...

1. London, England

Another list, Z/Yen Group’s Smart Centres Index, chose London for its top ‘smart centre’ this year, for its determination to embrace data and new technologies.

“Smart cities are not about technology for technology’s sake, but the application of technology to solve complex challenges that improve quality of life,” said Ashley Feldman, techUK’s programme Manager for Transport and Smart Cities. “London is a global hub for the research and development of innovation – from 5G and future networks, to AI and clean-tech.”

2. Zurich, Switzerland

The latest Smart City Index published by IMD business school put Zürich in the top spot, due to its public transport (80% satisfaction rate) and the attitude of the general population towards smart city technology. 60% of Zürich respondents said that they would be comfortable with the use of facial recognition technologies to reduce crime. Since 2019, IMD has named Zürich as one of the top three cities in its annual list. Zürich is certainly one of the strongest smart cities.

3. Taipei City, Taiwan

Gogoro is a global technology leader in battery swapping ecosystems which support sustainable mobility solutions.

"We are seeing growing demand for our smart city energy solutions beyond just battery swapping for vehicles. Customers across the region are looking for time-shifted energy for services like our new Smart Traffic Signal UPS in Taipei City, our Virtual Power Plant with Enel X or a variety of other unique energy needs," said Horace Luke, founder and CEO of Gogoro. 

4. New York City, USA

For congested cities, e-scooters have helped ease traffic, but entrepreneurs are not stopping there - with New York considering air taxis. According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Manhattan’s heliport would support electric-powered aircraft. “We’re going to reimagine the assets as a new hub for sustainable transportation.”

Archer Aviation CEO and founder Adam Goldstein has also named Los Angeles and San Francisco, as future markets for air mobility services. 

5. Barcelona, Spain

One of the advantages of Smart City Technologies is that the technology can be used to take on other challenges. Barcelona implemented an electric city bike system this year, easing city traffic and keeping residents healthy. 

Another of Barcelona’s smart city projects is City OS, an open data infrastructure which lets the City Council distribute resources for transport, energy and water more efficiently. This in turn, helps the council to offer new data-driven services specifically suited to its citizens’ needs.

6. Singapore

Despite being only 276 square miles, the city-state Singapore is home to five million people, and some landmarks in autonomous driving. Students at  the National University of Singapore can travel across the University campus on a self-driving shuttle, elderly and disabled citizens can take advantage of an autonomous fleet of driverless shuttles to get around  and the city is working towards fully autonomous cars by 2025. 

7. Paris, France

Considered by many as the city of love, Paris is famous for its fashion, cuisine and culture — but it is also one of the top deployers of IoT devices. The digital applications help manage water, transport, energy and waste management systems in the city, cementing its status as one of the smartest cities in the world. Over 280,000 connected street lights save 70% on energy costs, and smark park benches help support tourist crowd control in key areas. 

8. Oslo, Norway

Norway is one of the countries leading the path to net zero carbon emissions — Oslo is on its path to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Electric buses, trams and ferries are the main transport options for residents, and by 025, Norway plans to register only zero-emission cars. The city also  plans to cut emissions by 95% by 2030, ensuring that all new buildings meet energy efficiency standard.

9. Amsterdam, Netherlands

By combining renewable energy sources and storage technologies into a single smart energy management system — CleanMobilEnergy — Amsterdam dramatically lowers its CO2 emissions and increases the economic value of renewable energy. The city has won awards for its smart solutions, including smart streetlights, digital twin problem prevention, and online safety for residents. 

10. Surat, India

Surat is one of the fastest growing cities, populated in one of the most populous countries in the world — in response, it is becoming one of the smartest. In 2020, Surat received the UNESCO Nextexplo Smart Cities Award for its sustainability efforts for its smart water metres to reduce water-borne diseases, smart street lights, and that 10% of energy consumed is renewable.

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