Why is Singapore smarter? Hong Kong left trailing after rival ranked 2nd in global smart cities index
- Lianhe Zaobao
Despite HK$1 billion in government cash to improve smart technology, Hong Kong scores lower than several other Asian cities including Tokyo, Seoul, Osaka and Taipei
Hong Kong has been ranked 68th in a global smart city index – way behind its main rival Singapore, which came in second.
Despite recent efforts by the government to make the city smarter, Hong Kong scored poorly in several factors including transport and mobility, sustainability, innovative economy, digitisation, and experts’ perception.
The city also lost out for its lack of car-sharing services, such as Uber, and the low level of “citizen participation”, sitting at fifth from bottom in both categories.
Copenhagen topped the list in the 2017 Smart City Index, compiled by Swedish firm EasyPark, which provides smart parking solutions. Drawing data from the UN and the European Commission, researchers analysed more than 500 cities worldwide on 19 factors.
Hong Kong scored 5.29, compared with 8.24 for the Danish capital, 7.83 for Singapore and 7.82 for Stockholm, which was ranked third.
In Asia alone, Hong Kong was behind Tokyo, Seoul, Osaka, Taipei and Daejeon.
Despite the common perception that Hong Kong’s public transport is reliable and efficient, it was only ranked 62nd on that front.
The poor performance came despite the Hong Kong government’s declared commitment to develop the place into a smart city. Apart from funds of at least HK$1 billion, a government-commissioned study in June spelt out ambitious plans, including a four-phase maturity model which it said would see Hong Kong become a “world centre for innovation” by 2027 to 2030.
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