For the second successive year, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been ranked as the smartest cities in the MENA region. This is in comparison to 2020, with both the emirates having climbed 14 places globally.
While Abu Dhabi is ranked 28, Dubai is close behind at 29, out of 118 cities in the Smart City Index 2021.
The Index, by the Institute for Management Development, together with Singapore University for Technology and Design (SUTD) surveys residents in ranked cities to assess smart infrastructure and services which include health, safety, mobility, opportunities, activities and governance.
Meanwhile, the IMD Smart City Observatory President, Bruno Lanvin, noted that the pandemic has witnessed increased digital and ecological transformation in smart cities.
“This acceleration redefines resilience, which is increasingly becoming a local objective. And cities that have been seen as handling Covid-19 challenges in an efficient and effective way, rank high in the report.”
In the month of July, 15000 residents were surveyed globally across 118 cities.
The other cities that took the top three spots are Singapore, Zurich and Oslo respectively. Among others in the top ten are Taipei City, Helsinki, Lausanne, Geneva, Copenhagen, Bilbao and Auckland.
Last year, Abu Dhabi was in the 42nd position and Dubai 43rd.
