Latest news with #ISUI
Time Out
4 days ago
- Science
- Time Out
Hong Kong ranks 8th place in the global Smart City Index 2025
In a recent global smart city study of 73 cities, Hong Kong has placed among the top 10 of the world's smart cities, beating out numerous urban powerhouses in Asia to come in at eighth place. What makes a 'smart' city, you ask? Researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in collaboration with the International Society for Urban Informatics, have formulated the ISUI Smart City Index which uses public data to benchmark urban intelligence and human-centric quality of life in alignment with the needs, lived experiences, and well-being of residents to rate the 'smartness' of cities. Six core dimensions of environment, social landscape, economy, infrastructure, citizens, and governance are key factors in the rankings. These drill further down into criteria about education, health, resource efficiency, pursuit of urban environmental sustainability, energy consumption, the role of emerging technologies, innovation, productivity, digital integration, employment opportunities, foundational urban systems, accessibility, and even interactions between government, citizens, and stakeholders. In short, this ISUI survey looks at factors that affect people's quality of life in our modern age, and how well our respective cities are providing these elements to their citizens. Out of 73 cities surveyed, Stockholm sits in first place as the world's smartest city, with Washington, D.C. and Barcelona snapping at its heels. Tokyo ranks highest of all 25 Asian cities surveyed at number five, and Hong Kong comes in at a tidy eighth place, rounding out the only two cities in Asia represented in the top 10. (No sign of our usual competitors, Seoul, Singapore, and Shenzhen, until 13th, 21st, and 25th place, respectively.) In an overview of the top 20 cities on the 2025 list, Hong Kong stood out in the environment, economy, and governance categories. Its current position at number eight is an improvement from the 2023 survey, where Hong Kong tied with London for ninth place. Placing eight out of 73 isn't bad at all, but there's certainly room for improvement. What smart city developments do you think Hong Kong should focus on next? Visit the International Society for Urban Informatics for the full report. Top 10 cities in the Smart City Index 2025: Stockholm Washington, D.C. Barcelona London Tokyo Zurich New York Hong Kong Copenhagen and Oslo (tied) Burger King is closing its last urban branch in Hong Kong on August 31
Independent Singapore
6 days ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Singapore named one of Asia's smartest cities in 2025 — but can tech solve everything?
Photo: Unsplash SINGAPORE: Singapore has long been well-regarded for its admirable vista, opulent foliage, and exceptional development. In the current year, the Lion City earned a new distinction by being named one of Asia's smartest capitals, according to the newest Smart City Index by the International Society for Urban Informatics (ISUI), featured in a recent story of Time Out. Classified as the 21st in the world and 5th in Asia, Singapore's spot strengthens its rank as a trailblazer in smart inner-city development. Thus far, there is one question that continues to nag — can technology really solve all of the city's glitches and difficulties? What makes a city 'smart'? Many people think being a 'smart city' only involves fast internet or the latest tech. The ISUI's Smart City Index 2025 takes a deeper, more people-focused approach. Using global data, the index assesses 73 cities across six main areas: citizens, environment, social landscape, economy, infrastructure, and governance. This offers a more complete view of urban intelligence. Each area is divided into specific goals. For example, the 'citizens' category includes metrics like education, health, and lifelong learning. The 'social landscape' looks at housing affordability, public safety, mobility, and healthcare access. It's not just about having high-tech solutions; it's about being well-developed. Where Singapore stands Globally, Stockholm leads the list, followed by Washington, D.C., and Barcelona. Singapore ranks 21st worldwide, but in Asia, it proudly stands among the top five smartest cities: Tokyo (#5 globally) Hong Kong (#8) Seoul (#13) Beijing (#15) Singapore (#21) This position puts Singapore ahead of regional competitors like Yokohama, Guangzhou, and Kuala Lumpur, which is no small feat in a region striving to modernize. High tech, high hopes, but is it enough? The city-state's smart city goals are extremely entrenched in its urban uniqueness. Be it the AI-propelled stream of traffic systems or its avant-garde Smart Nation ingenuity, Singapore continues to devote substantial investments to its digital transformation initiatives. Nevertheless, such development raises vital questions: Can technology respond to the increasing societal disparity? Can it make housing more affordable or strengthen communities? Is being smart synonymous with being inclusive, or just efficient? See also TikTok warns parents over suicide video These are challenges that even the smartest cities face. While it is true that technology can boost services, improve products, and enhance the quality of life, it cannot provide humans' need for compassion, justice, equality, and connection. As cities like Singapore climb the ranks, their accomplishment must also be assessed by how fit the city is for human habitation, if it is all-encompassing, if it is robust for all residents and citizens, and not just how speedy or innovative they appear to be. So yes, Singapore is smart — among the smartest, but the next challenge may not be found in data dashboards or digital services. It may lie in how effectively Singaporeans use that intelligence to create cities that are not only connected but also truly focused on people. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Time Out
7 days ago
- Business
- Time Out
Singapore is officially one of the smartest cities in Asia, according to the Smart City Index 2025
Singapore isn't just a beautiful city full of scenic green spaces amidst shiny high-rise buildings. We're big on the smarts too, as proven by the latest Smart City Index for 2025 – and there's clearly much depth beneath our compactness. Published by the International Society for Urban Informatics (ISUI), this Smart City Index 2025 ranking isn't just about smartness in the traditional sense of the word, nor is it purely about technological advancements. Rather, it makes use of global data to rank 73 cities based on six core dimensions: citizens, environment, social landscape, economy, infrastructure, and governance. Each dimension then further considers multiple objectives for a holistic view of a city's given level of 'smartness'. For example, under 'citizens', there's education, lifelong learning, and health; while under 'social landscape', there are factors like healthcare, housing, safety, and mobility, among others. They call it the Swiss standard of living for a reason, and Stockholm takes the trophy – followed by Washington, D.C. and Barcelona, Spain in the second and third spots. As to where Singapore stands on this list? Globally, we rank 21st – and there's good reason for us to be proud as we're part of the top five smartest cities within Asia. Tokyo stands strong as the number one smartest city in Asia (#5 globally), while other neighbouring cities in the region that beat us in ranking include Hong Kong (#8) and Seoul (#13). 20 smartest cities in the world in 2025: Stockholm, Sweden Washington, D.C, United States of America Barcelona, Spain London, United Kingdom Tokyo, Japan Zurich, Switzerland New York, United States of America Hong Kong Copenhagen, Denmark Oslo, Norway Geneva, Switzerland Helsinki, Finland Seoul, South Korea Auckland, New Zealand Beijing, China Philadelphia, United States of America Berlin, Germany Chicago, United States of America Paris, France Toronto, Canada 10 smartest cities in Asia in 2025: Tokyo, Japan Hong Kong Seoul, South Korea Beijing, China Singapore Yokohama, Japan Guangzhou, China Shanghai, China Busan, South Korea Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Check out the full list of world's smartest cities and have a more in-depth glimpse into the Smart City Index 2025 scoring methodology here.
South China Morning Post
06-08-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong ranks No 8 in global smart cities index, beating Seoul and Singapore
Hong Kong has ranked eighth globally in a smart cities index by a local university, outperforming many of its peers in Asia, including Seoul and Singapore. Polytechnic University published the International Society for Urban Informatics (ISUI) Smart City Index 2025 on Wednesday, with Hong Kong performing strongly in areas such as economy and governance, but struggling in terms of infrastructure and other categories. Hong Kong was the second-highest performing Asian city in the ranking at eighth place, with Tokyo the only location on the continent to outperform it at fifth place. Other Asian cities also performed well, including Seoul at 13th place, Beijing at 15th and Singapore at No 21. Stockholm topped the chart, followed by Washington, Barcelona and London. The index was designed by a team from the university's Smart Cities Research Institute, with the ranking assessing 73 jurisdictions around the world across six categories, including their economies, infrastructure and environment.
RTHK
06-08-2025
- Business
- RTHK
HK rises in global smart city index
HK rises in global smart city index Professor John Shi, middle, says Hong Kong excelled in categories such as the economy and governance. Photo: RTHK Hong Kong has come in eighth out of 73 cities in a smart city index. The ranking, compiled by Polytechnic University researchers, considered how factors such as infrastructure or the use of technology improved living standards. The findings were disclosed at the fourth International Conference on Urban Informatics which opened on Wednesday at the university. Professor John Shi, president of the International Society for Urban Informatics (ISUI), said this is an improvement compared with 2023, when the SAR ranked ninth out of 50 cities. According to Shi, the city stands out for its economy and having a good business environment as well as its free flow of capital. The ISUI Smart City Index is compiled by ISUI and the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute. Unlike similar indexes, the ISUI index is based on publicly available data rather than questionnaires. Shi says the results are therefore more objective. He added the findings can aid policy development, such as building more active transportation infrastructure like cycling tracks or electric vehicle charging stations. "It [Hong Kong's performance in the index] is very strong, very [encouraging], the city is doing well and in terms of smart city development."
