Manila ranked among the lowest at 94 out of 102 cities in the IMD Smart City Index 2019. The countries that topped the list are Singapore, Zurich, Oslo, Geneva, Copenhagen, Auckland, Taipei City, Helsinki, Bilbao, and Dusseldorf.
Published by the International Institute for Management Development and the Singapore University of Technology, the global index is the first of its kind that focuses on "how citizens perceive the scope and impact of efforts to make their cities 'smart,' balancing 'economic and technological aspects' with 'humane dimensions.'"
The index based its ranking on five categories: health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities, and governance.
Manila performed below average across the board especially in mobility, owing to the current traffic conditions, and governance with corruption being an issue.
A survey was also conducted in order to find out what residents perceived to be of priority. What respondents were most concerned about includes basic amenities, corruption, road congestion, air pollution, security, and unemployment.
"Smart cities are growing and blossoming in all parts of the world. Economic realities cannot be ignored: cities in poorer countries face disadvantages, which will require specific actions to correct along the path towards smartness," stated professor Arturo Bris, director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center.
Don't mind us over here; we're just looking at photos of when Manila was known as the Paris of the East.
