Introduction
A smart city is a digitalized city where data and communications got used to boost its operational ability. These cities share data with the citizens and increase the quality of government functioning and public welfare services. The primary vision of a smart city is to boost its municipal functions and help in its economic growth while also maintaining the quality of life for the public. It happens by using data storage technology and information analysis. Smart cities always grow themselves to become sustainable. These cities are more efficient, sustainable, and pleasant in life. As the quality of life is closely related to the happiness index, most smart cities have sustainability as their secondary goal. Resource usage and governance are the next on the list. Various characteristics got examined to determine a city’s smartness index/rankings in the top twenties. Like, technical infrastructure, environment, public transportation, urban planning, building management, living index, and ability to utilize the city’s resources.
1. Copenhagen, Denmark (Tops The List)
Copenhagen tops today’s list. It uses the best strategy for data utilization and maintains the city greener. Thus, overall improving the quality of life for its citizens. It takes data from devices, bus GPSs, and sewer/garbage-can sensors to predict the city-state (real-time) and thus, quickly improves the overall status of the city.
2. Oslo, Norway
Oslo grabs the second position on the list. Here more than seventy percent of the cars purchased this year were EVs. Oslo will permanently abolish access to non-electric vehicles in a few years. The city is expediting zero emissions cars by permitting them to use bus highways and giving free parking and lesser tolls.
3. Zurich, Switzerland
Smart City Zurich fulfills its future needs by stimulating innovation and establishing sustainability and growth. Its prime focus areas include integrated private plus public transport, modernizing the city’s infrastructure, and initiatives for citizens to increase their involvement in businesses.
4. London, Uk
London is a global hub for clean government, digital health, and educational technologies. It is also the most well-connected city and enjoys the most advanced public transport. The goal of the city’s municipality is to be the number one city.
5. Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm was the number one city in 2019 and second on the Sustainability Index. The government is innovating and testing solutions for existing and new-built locations. Stockholms is always in collaborations with private enterprises to improve its technologies.
6. Singapore, Republic Of Singapore
Singapore wants to become Asia’s number one city in sustainable building solutions. It has a thirty-seven million dollars master plan to do so and aims to make eighty percent of its infrastructure eco-friendly in a few years. I would make it the most ambitious objective globally.
7. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam’s development initiatives began eleven years ago with the launch of its city program. The program took help from innovations in technology to attain sustainability goals. In four years, the city plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by a whopping forty percent.
8. Sydney, Australia
Sydney has made a strategic framework to work on the possibilities for creating a digital government and preparing for any pandemic in the future. The framework works on an ambitious project named sustainable Sydney. It sees the city as a developing, flourishing, and helpful place.
9. New York City, Usa
New York City is a city to attain real sustainability. NYC regulations like the climate mobilization act(CMA) and the buildings emissions law(BEL) help decrease the carbon emission caps. It materializes the city’s works over sustainability.
10. Munich, Germany
The city is implanting edge solutions in districts like a freshman and numbing. Its goal is to significantly decrease fossil fuel usage by taking the help of data technologies. It plans to invest twenty million euros until the end of this year.
11. Berlin, Germany
Berlin improved worldwide competition for the number one city by attaining resource efficiency. It can hold complete carbon neutrality for twenty years. It is developing innovative applications for public demand.
12. Vancouver, Canada
In 12th place, Vancouver attained ninety percent sustainable energy. And it emits minimum greenhouse gases than any of the American cities. The city has been able to hold such results; because of using real-time data, increasing its connectivity and sustainability.
13. San Francisco, Usa
The Greenest City in the US (2011). San Francisco leads the way in innovation. The city has integrated its sustainability goals with clean technology, transport, energy, and a waste environment.
14. Paris, France
Paris has the best sewer systems in the world. Its Haussmannian architecture and the infrastructures, like, subways and public spaces, are way beyond their time. Now, city projects like bike sharing are receiving global recognition.
15. Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg won Europe’s greenest city (2011). The city’s strategy is to green-if old infrastructure and good planning of new urban buildings. Hamburg has invested ten billion euros in this ambitious project.
16. Hong Kong, Republic Of Hong Kong
Its prime goal is to improve the innovation and technology sector. It wants to build a world-famous city having a whooping economy with luxury standards. They even measure the temperature and air quality of Hong Kong. The data is available to the public through online dashboards.
17. Taipei City, Taiwan
Taipei also wants to become the world’s best city. It has initiatives like green buildings, cleaner energy, and effective resource allocation. Thus, it promotes sustainable living. The city analyses big data and has integrated services for emptying the gap between rural-urban areas.
18. Washington Dc, United States
The city has attained environmental sustainability. DC fights the rising climate change issue and promotes innovative projects to overcome the same. Since 2006, the carbon footprint has got reduced by thirty percent.
19. Brisbane, Australia
Australia’s most sustainable city. Brisbane’s prime motive is collaborating with the public, startups, businesses, and innovators to find new solutions to attain sustainability. It has started using big data innovatively.
20. Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona using the of city management as a sustainability solution. There are investment opportunities for startups and businesses to collaborate with the city’s intelligence and sustainability. Its municipality thus puts efforts toward the city’s development. New technologies got developed to overcome climate change and mobility infrastructure.
Conclusion
The main motive of technology is to improve people’s lives. These twenty cities use data analysis to optimize the city and contribute to global sustainability. It also boosts the economy and quality of life.
