Juniper Research’s ranking of 50 world cities evaluates transportation, infrastructure, energy, lighting, city management, technology and urban connectivity.
Shanghai has been ranked as the world’s number one smart city for the second year in a row due to its superior connectivity and data systems.
Read more: CN: Shanghai ranked top smart city for second year
CN: Hebei: Xi's footprints in Xiong'an highlight 'miraculous' transformation of 'city of the future'
Xiong'an the 'city of the future' advancing high-quality development after six years
Standing in the middle of a massive construction site with a strong, gusty wind and constant construction noise in the background, Fu Xing, a mid-aged, bespectacled construction manager with a slight figure can barely be heard. Wearing his typical workman outfit ― a white hard hat and a blue vest, Fu tries to explain what is being built and its national significance. But around him, nothing really stands out about the project, except for the sheer size of the site.
- Connected networks of sensors and communication devices make management of resources and services more efficient and effective
- Cities are adopting advanced technologies and innovative approaches to urban planning and management
At some new subway stations in Beijing, Guangzhou and a number of other Chinese cities, people no longer need to swipe a card or scan their phone to catch a train. The gate opens following a quick scan of their face, with the process taking less than two seconds.
Numerous skyscrapers under construction, modern neighborhood compounds filled with green and driverless buses crisscrossing on new asphalt roads are just a handful of the indicators reflecting the rise of the Xiongan New Area in north China's Hebei Province.
A high-level, ecologically friendly modern metropolis featuring high-tech infrastructure, the Xiongan New Area is one of China's ambitious projects. So developed in the new area that no one would believe everything about this dream city was built from scratch just six years ago.
Read more: China's 'city of the future' Xiongan and its innovation-driven growth
- City is ranked No 19, behind Singapore and Beijing, in global list topped by Zurich, Oslo and Canberra
- Pandemic saw increased reliance on tech and residents learned to use smartphones in critical new ways
Hong Kong leapt into the Top 20 of a global list of smart cities, thanks mainly to the increased use of technology in healthcare during the coronavirus pandemic.