HK ranks 8th globally in Smart City Index

Hong Kong has secured eighth place in the Smart City Index developed by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Smart City Research Institute and the International Society for Urban Informatics.

The ranking places Hong Kong ahead of regional competitors like Singapore and as the second-highest Asian city after Tokyo, which ranked fifth globally.

The index evaluated 73 cities worldwide across six key dimensions - citizens, environment, social landscape, economy, infrastructure, and governance - using 97 specific indicators to assess how smart city development impacts residents' quality of life.

Stockholm claimed the top position, followed by Washington D.C. and Barcelona in second and third places, respectively.

Researchers highlighted Hong Kong's particularly strong performance in environmental sustainability, economic digitalization, and governance effectiveness.

According to the index, the city's advantages included progressive carbon neutrality metrics and an advanced digital economy infrastructure. The government's establishment of a spatial data sharing platform, which currently provides public access to over 1,000 datasets from various departments, was noted as a significant contributor to Hong Kong's high governance ranking.

The study's lead academic, John Shi Wenzhong, emphasized the importance of increased artificial intelligence research and application development to maintain Hong Kong's competitive edge.

The report calls for strengthened collaboration between universities, industry stakeholders, and government bodies to enhance overall societal efficiency and drive further innovation in smart city technologies.

The comprehensive assessment aims to provide city administrators worldwide with actionable insights for developing sustainable smart city strategies that genuinely improve urban living standards, Shi said.

(Marco Lam)