Warsaw takes 54th place in global ‘smart cities’ ranking

Another newcomer to the IESE Cities in Motion Index 2017, the southwestern Polisch city of Wrocław, took 95th spot. New York, London and Paris topped the list of 180 metropolises across the globe.

Smart cities apply advanced technology in order to improve the lives of urban dwellers.

“The goal is to live in better conditions and at the same time to drive down an entire city’s operating costs,” said Dorota Sikora-Fernandez from the Department of City and Regional Management at the University of Łódź, central Poland.

The IESE Cities in Motion Index analyses a range of factors that contribute to the quality of life, such as human capital, the economy, the environment and urban planning. In the last category, Warsaw came second in the ranking and Wrocław tenth.

Sikora-Fernandez said that Polish cities chiefly apply the smart city concept in public transport.

“However, you can hardly call a city ‘smart’ if, for example, its air pollution levels exceed the norm many times over,” she said.

Poland is to plough over EUR 18 billion from EU funds into developing smart cities. (aba/pk)

Source: PAP