The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) has released its Smart City Index for 2023, which includes four Saudi cities. Riyadh, the capital city, has maintained its position as the third smartest Arab city after Abu Dhabi and Dubai, while Makkah has entered the index for the first time and ranked fourth. Abu Dhabi was ranked the first smartest Arab city and the 13th globally, while Dubai was ranked the second smartest Arab city and the 17th globally.
Jeddah and Madinah also made the list, ranking fifth and seventh in the Arab world, respectively. At a global level, Riyadh ranked 30th, Makkah 52nd, Jeddah 56th, and Madinah 85th out of 141 cities worldwide. Advanced technologies and collaborative efforts from various sectors, including the national platform for smart cities launched by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), have contributed to the cities’ improved rankings in various sub-indices.
The IMD Smart City Index focuses on how residents perceive the scope and impact of efforts to make their cities smart, the extent to which the economic and technical aspects are balanced while not neglecting the human dimensions, and the extent to which they contribute to bridging the gap between the aspirations and needs of the population and advanced trends in the way smart cities are built, according to Saudi Gazette.
Smart cities, according to their scientific concept, contribute to the development of many key sectors, such as: the smart transport sector through trip planning software and reservations for public transport systems, and the smart economy based on advanced software that contributes to the development of many sectors such as logistics, delivery and joint support services. This is in addition to building platforms interactive with the public to identify their needs and aspirations and interact with them in a transparent manner that puts them at the center of the attention of state agencies, apart from developing and facilitating the access of services to citizens.
It is noteworthy that the International Institute for Management Development is one of the most prestigious institutes of business administration in the world, and an important reference for other international organizations and institutions for competitiveness among countries. IMD is also a basic reference for decision-makers around the world to measure the impact of national strategies in enhancing levels of well-being, achieving progress and enhancing the quality of life.
