World’s smartest cities: Manila ranks 145th

MANILA, Philippines - Manila ranked 145th among 181 cities evaluated according to smartness or strategic planning.

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines’ capital region ranked behind Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur in the 10 dimensions in the study: economy, human capital, technology, the environment, international outreach, social cohesion, mobility and transportation, governance, urban planning and public management.

The IESE Cities in Motion Index 2016, released on its website by the Center for Globalization and Strategy, IESE Business School, University of Navarra, is aimed at reviewing the world’s cities as to what “they want to be, what their priorities are and where they stand now” to meet the challenges of urbanization.

Among Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the island city-state of Singapore landed in 22nd  place; Bangkok, Thailand, 84th; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 88th; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 158th; and Jakarta, Indonesia, 170th.

The top 10 cities are: New York, United States; London, United Kingdom; Paris, France; San Francisco; Boston; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Chicago; Seoul, South Korea; Geneva, Switzerland and Sydney, Australia.

Tokyo, Japan ranked 12th and Beijing, China was in 92nd spot.

For 2015, the CIMI report said 56.35 percent of the cities had a performance rated high or relatively high, and the ranking was headed by New York City and London.

“With an average performance, we have 54 cities (29.83 percent), while the performances classified as low include 13.81 percent of the selected cities. No city gets an average low rating. Of the top 25 cities, nine are European, 11 are North American, three are Asian and two are from Oceania,” the report stated.

Manila has an average performance based on the dimensions used to evaluate cities.

According to the CIMI report, cities around the world face major global challenges although they generate 80 percent of global economic growth and wealth. These include economic crises, demographic trends, social divisions and environmental consequences.

“The scope and magnitude of all of this create new challenges for cities’ sustainability,” the report said.

“Smart cities generate numerous business opportunities and possibilities for collaboration between the public and private sectors. All stakeholders can contribute, so an ecosystem network must be developed that will involve all of them: members of the public, organizations, institutions, government, universities, experts, research centers, (et cetera),” the report noted.

The new edition of the CIMI has among the most important changes – wider geographical coverage, higher number of indicators, greater variability at city level, combination of objective and subjective indicators, better analysis and improved methodology.