I’ve been writing recently about smart cities of the future and how investment in smart city technology is on the rise in the coming years. But forget about the city of the future for a second. Where can we find the world’s smartest cities today?
Researcher Boyd Cohen, at Fast Company’s Co.Exist blog, puts together a list of the world’s 10 smartest cities based on previous city rankings in innovation, quality of life, sustainability, digital community, and digital governance.
Because the definition of a “smart city” can be murky, here’s how Cohen defines it: “Smart cities use information and communication technologies (ICT) to be more intelligent and efficient in the use of resources, resulting in cost and energy savings, improved service delivery and quality of life, and reduced environmental footprint–all supporting innovation and the low-carbon economy.”
The world’s top 10 smart cities:
1. Vienna
2. Toronto
3. Paris
4. New York
5. London
6. Tokyo
7. Berlin
8. Copenhagen
9. Hong Kong
10. Barcelona
At first it might be a bit of a surprise to see Vienna at the top, but if take a look a closer look at what they’re doing it’s makes sense.
Vienna is establishing bold smart-city targets and tracking their progress to reach them, with programs like the Smart Energy Vision 2050, Roadmap 2020, and Action Plan 2012-2015. Vienna’s planners are incorporating stakeholder consultation processes into building and executing carbon reduction, transportation and land-use planning changes in the hopes of becoming a major European player in smart-city technologies.
Go here to read Cohen’s analysis for each city.
Photo: Herr P./Flickr
Top 10 Smart Cities on the Planet [Fast Co.Exist]
