Smart Cities of the Future

New study reveals the most intelligent cities in the world

Global parking tech company, EasyPark, has released its new study about the most intelligent and future-proof global cities. The company looked at the impact that technologies have on societies and how they can help to create sustainable and cutting-edge urban areas to improve the lives of their citizens.

The study assessed several thousand cities around the world looking at urban centers that are implementing new technologies. Understanding that cities face different challenges depending on their population, the study was split into three size categories: metropolitan areas with over three million inhabitants, between 600,000 and three million inhabitants, and between 50,000 and 600,000 inhabitants. The result of the study reveals the top 50 highest ranking smart and future-proof cities worldwide in each category.

The Top Smart Cities

London ranks as the most intelligent and future-proof city with a population of over three million people, followed by New York and San Francisco. Copenhagen, Denmark, take the top prize in the category of population of between 600,000 and three million people, followed by Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway. Lund, Sweden, ranks as the most intelligent and future-proof city with a population of between 50,000 and 600,000 people, followed by Stavanger, Norway, and Espoo, Finland.

“We decided to study cities separately depending on their population size to allow for a more stimulating comparison,” said Louise Ekman, Head of Group Communications & PR, EasyPark Group. “Metropolitan areas develop according to how many people they provide a livelihood for. Therefore to really assess the infrastructure of each city, we realized it was important to group them depending on the population of the entire metropolitan area to which they belong.”

Key Factors

The researchers used data from sources such as the World Bank, the Economist, the International Monetary Fund and the Lancet. To evaluate how innovative each location is, researchers considered four key factors. First, the digital life of each city was studied by assessing how widely technology has been adopted by the population, the government and within the healthcare sector. They also reviewed the success and reputation of technology educational institutions in each urban area. Next, the researchers focused on mobility innovation by looking at how innovative parking solutions are within each city, the overall traffic management system including public transport, and the cleanliness of the city’s transport.

Following this, the study considered each city’s business tech infrastructure. To do this they measured the level of business innovation, prevalence of ePayments and quality of internet connectivity in each location. Finally the environmental sustainability of each city was evaluated by analyzing green energy usage, the number of green buildings, the waste management system and the overall climate change response and planning.

EasyPark Group is a leading parking tech company that helps drivers find and manage parking and charge their electrical vehicle. Its technology helps businesses, cities, parking operators and property owners with administration, planning, and data driven management in over 3,200 cities across 27 countries.