Canberra has ranked third globally in IMD’s latest Smart City Index (SCI) by The Smart City Observatory, showing that the city’s tech-forward mindset has helped improved citizens’ quality of life. 

This year’s Smart City Index, which placed Canberra right after Zurich and Oslo, analysed hard data and survey responses to show the extent on how technology has enabled cities to address the challenges they face to achieve a higher quality of life for their inhabitants.  

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In the Index, around 20,000 citizens were surveyed about certain aspects of living in their cities. Respondents were asked about the most urgent challenges that needed to be addressed, from affordable housing and road congestion to fulfilling employment and green spaces.  

Respondents were also asked about various structures and technologies to determine whether tech-based solutions are effectively addressing their major concerns.  

Finally, they were asked how comfortable they felt with technologies such as face recognition and sharing personal data to improve traffic congestion.  

“The global landscape of smart cities is changing. Cities and their leaders are becoming more visible on the international stage, and citizens are increasingly valuing inclusion and diversity in the places they choose to live,” Smart City Observatory President Bruno Lanvin said. 

“A new world is shaping up, and changes at the city level are a precious indicator of what the future may hold. Openness and inter-city collaboration may become key components of the next wave of globalization.” 

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Aside from Canberra in the 3rd place, the Index also showed Sydney in the 18th place, Brisbane in the 24th place and Melbourne in the 31st place. The cities, while having different highlights, displayed the same issues such as affordable housing, road congestion and better health and transport services. 

And as Australia continues to move towards a more digitally-driven society by 2030 as part of the national strategy, it is clear that cities should look towards more tech-based solutions that can effectively addresses the common issues. 

Fill in the form below to download the white paper on Canberra’s Smart City Index report.