Manila ranks last in Asia: Smart City Index

Christian Enriquez in News and Updates

Oct 09, 2019 • 2 min Read

Manila occupied the 94th slot among 102 cities ranked according to their citizen’s perceptions of the “scope and impact of efforts to make their cities smart by balancing economic and technological aspects with humane dimensions.”

The IMD Smart City Index 2019 (SCI) is a partnership between the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitiveness Center’s Smart City Observatory and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

Results were based on how services are made available to citizens and the advancement of technology utilized for the city’s development. Ratings were classified with AAA being the highest, and D, the lowest. Metro Manila was given a C rating.

“Manila’s citizens are more concerned about the ‘structures’ side of the city than about the technologies being offered to them,” Bruno Lanvin, president of IMD’s Smart City Observatory, shared.

“In the city of Manila, efforts should hence focus on how to manage a metropolis of some 13 million by improving traffic and pollution/waste management, and providing better access to fundamental services such as safety, health and good governance,” he added.

According to respondents, Manila’s main flaw is the lack of access to basic amenities. This is followed by corruption, road congestion, air pollution, and security. Manila should likewise be able to address these concerns: public transport, affordable housing, fulfilling employment, school education, recycling, green spaces, energy efficiency, social mobility, and citizen engagement. Technology-wise, Manila posted a low to median score on the use of technologies for health and safety, mobility, and governance purposes.

Photo by Marfil Graganza Aquino from Pexels
Photo by Marfil Graganza Aquino from Pexels

Other ASEAN countries fared better than Manila: Ho Chi Minh (65th), Hanoi (66th), Kuala Lumpur (70th), Bangkok (75th), and Jakarta at (81st).

The top 10 smart cities in 2019 are:

  1. Singapore
  2. Zurich
  3. Oslo
  4. Geneva
  5. Copenhagen
  6. Auckland
  7. Taipei City
  8. Helsinki
  9. Bilbao
  10. Dusseldorf
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