Dhaka had not made it within the rank of 109 cities in the world under the 2020 Smart City Index, an index based on the economic and technological data, as well as by their citizens’ perceptions of how ‘smart’ their cities are.

Singapore, Helsinki and Zurich have come top in the 2020 Smart City Index, stated the Institute for Management Development in Switzerland in the index.

The Institute for Management Development, in collaboration with Singapore University for Technology and Design, released the 2020 Smart City Index, with key findings on how technology was playing a role in the COVID-19 era in a way that was likely to remain.

Hundreds of citizens from 109 cities were surveyed in April and May 2020 and asked questions on the technological provisions of their city across five key areas – health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities and governance.

‘It is of course too early to draw the lessons from COVID. However, it is clear that we are at a critical juncture, where the sanitary crisis is still very much with us, while the economic and social crisis that it will entail has hardly started.,’ said Bruno Lanvin, president of the IMD Smart City Observatory.

He added, ‘This year’s Smart City Index suggests that the cities that have been able to combine technologies, leadership and a strong culture of ‘living and acting together’ should be able to better withstand the most damaging effects of such crises.’