Abu Dhabi has been ranked the "Smartest City in the MENA Region" for the second consecutive year in the annual IMD-SUTD Smart City Index (SCI) released today in collaboration between the IMD (Institute for Management Development) World Competitiveness Center and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
According to the new report, Abu Dhabi has risen 14 places to 28th in the global smart cities ranking. Almost 15,000 city dwellers were surveyed in 118 cities around the world. They were asked about the performance of their respective cities in terms of health and safety, mobility, activities, work and school, and governance.
Coinciding with the upcoming Abu Dhabi Smart City Summit in November, the new ranking reflects the great impact that Abu Dhabi's digital transformation has had on society, utilizing data-driven strategies and artificial intelligence, particularly in the area of smart transport, easy check-in and ticketing of public transport, car sharing and booking apps. These innovations, alongside the inclusion of smart transport applications, and software integration in public hygiene and recycling, have enabled the community to maintain interaction across all societal, service and economic sectors, and have empowered the emirate to perform at the highest level to improve its position globally as a better place to live and work.
His Excellency Falah Muhammad Al Ahbabi, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) said, "Abu Dhabi is constantly working towards integration in the design of smart cities of the future; the vision of our leadership and the joint efforts of all government entities have been the cornerstone of the emirate's pursuit of achieving remarkable developmental progress to improve the quality of life in Abu Dhabi."
H.E. added, "Our smart economy and social development roadmap focuses on the use of advanced smart services programmes that contribute to all vital sectors, and DMT is working to build smart and interactive data-driven systems and platforms to develop a long-term strategy that enables us to realise the aspirations of the population.
"We see the new ranking as an incentive to achieve more, carrying on the legacy of the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, by applying best practices and standards that underline the emirate's leading role in developing the cities of the future, which has enabled Abu Dhabi to record the best response to the consequences of the pandemic globally, forming a unique experience in social, economic and scientific development that forms the basis for the development of societies," he concluded.
The Smart Cities Index is a prominent report prepared for international organisations, institutions and policy makers to measure the impact of national strategies in improving levels of well-being, achieving progress and improving peoples’ quality of life.