Tokyo, London and New York are the world's "smartest cities", according to academics examining the long-term sustainability of major cities
The IESE Business School in Spain has published the results of its “cities in motion” index. It ranks 135 of the world’s largest cities in terms of their approaches over the past three years to ensuring economic, environmental and social sustainability. The cities are assessed against 50 indicators across 10 topics, which include economy, environment, transport, urban planning and social cohesion.
Tokyo came top in 2011, 2012 and 2013, with particularly high scores for human capital, which focuses on the ability to attract and retain talent, and public management, which assesses how the city’s administration is being improved. London came second throughout, ranked highly because of its strong approach to developing and deploying new technologies and the position it holds on the international stage.
The Swiss cities of Zurich, Geneva and Basel scored highest overall in terms of the environment, which covers how cities are supporting greener buildings, low-carbon energy and greater water efficiency.
The report also reveals that “social cohesion”, which covers community development, effective health systems and care for the elderly, for example, is the aspect of sustainability that is being address by the fewest cities. Even for those ranked highest, such as Tokyo and London, it is seen as an area of weakness.
