On September 17, 2020, Institute for Management Development (IMD), in collaboration with Singapore University for Technology and Design (SUTD), IMD World Competitiveness Center, and Smart Cities Observatory (SCO) has released the 2nd edition of global listing of smart cities i.e. “Smart City Index (SCI) 2020” in which the ranking of four Indian cities- New Delhi, Mumbai (Maharashtra), Hyderabad (Telangana), and Bengaluru (Karnataka) were declined as the technological advancement in these cities is not up to date to cater the COVID19 Pandemic.
- The index was topped by Singapore followed by Helsinki (Finland) and Zurich (Switzerland) in the second and the third place respectively.
- It should be noted that Indian cities have suffered more from the pandemic because they were not prepared.
- The work of these rankings was led by IMD’s Professor Arturo Bris.
About SCI 2020:
The SCI monitors the actual development of smart cities in all parts of the world. SCI 2020 ranked 109 cities under which 120 citizens from each city were asked questions in April and May 2020 on the technological provisions of their city across five key areas: health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities and governance.
Following table shows the 2020 SCI ranking of Indian Cities and Toppers in comparison to 2019
| City | Rank 2020 | Smart City Rating 2020 | Rank 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyderabad | 85 | CC | 67 |
| New Delhi | 86 | CC | 68 |
| Mumbai | 93 | C | 78 |
| Bengaluru | 95 | C | 79 |
| Singapore | 1 | AAA | 1 |
| Helsinki | 2 | AA | 8 |
| Zurich | 3 | AA | 2 |
Points to be noted:
-In all Indian four cities air pollution is highlighted as one of the 15 key areas which require priority.
-Others in the top 10 list include Auckland (4th), Oslo (5th), Copenhagen (6th), Geneva (7th), Taipei City (8th), Amsterdam (9th) and New York at the 10th place.
Recent Related News:
- On 26th August 2020, NITI Aayog in partnership with Institute of Competitiveness released the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2020, this is the first report to examine export preparedness and performance of the states of India. Gujarat was identified as the top performing state in the category of Coastal state and also topped the Overall rankings.
- On 4th August 2020, FutureBrand Index 2020 was released, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Oil and Gas Companyranked as the Second Biggest Brand for its recognition associated with its growth, innovative products and customer service after Apple which topped the index.
About Institute for Management Development (IMD):
Location– Lausanne (Switzerland) and Singapore
President – Jean-Francois Manzoni
