Smart city Ahmedabad? Ranking worst in India, 101st globally, other cities perform better

Global index ranking. Column B: 2016, Column C: 2015

By Rajiv Shah
A recent report by top British consultants, AT Kearney, with branches all over the world, has suggested that Indian cities have far to go in case they wish to become smart. Titled “Global Cities 2016 ”, the consultants seek to answer the question: “Which global cities are performing best today, which have the best long-term potential, and what makes a smart city?”
Seeking an answer to the question, in Global Cities Index, which examines a city’s current performance based on business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement, Mumbai ranks 44th of the 125 cities selected across the world, followed by New Delhi 61st, Bangalore 75th, Chennai 77th, Hyderabad 78th, Kolkata 84th, and Ahmedabad worst, 101st.
The report states, “The Index is designed to provide insights into the global reach, performance, and level of development of the world’s largest cities. It allows for the comparison of diverse cities to help draw unique conclusions about their shared strengths and core differences.”
In its second criterion, Global Cities Outlook, which seeks to project a city’s potential based on rate of change in personal well-being, economics, innovation and governance, Bangalore ranks the best of Indian cities, 73rd out of the 125 cities chosen, followed by New Delhi 76th, Hederabad 91st, Mumbai 93rd, Ahmedabad 94th, Chennai 98th, and Kolkata 110th.

Global outlook ranking. Column B: 2016, Column C: 2015

“Leading the Global Elite once again are London and New York City, which remain the only two cities in the top 10 of both the Index and Outlook”, the report says, adding, “For the second year in a row, San Francisco leads the Outlook, driven largely by its unparalleled strength in innovation. The city’s private investments, a proxy for venture capital, more than double that of the next highest grossing city, New York.”
In Index, the cities which make it to the top 10 are London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Chicago , Singapore, Beijing and Washington DC. In Outlook, other cities which are in the top 10 are San Franciso, New York, Boston, London, Houston, Atlanta, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Munich, and Zurich.
While the report ranks Karachi quite low in both Index and Outlook (85th in Index, and 99th in Outlook), the report makes a special mention of this port city of Pakistan. It says, “Karachi is perhaps the biggest surprise of the new entrants; this could be a testament to recent efforts by leadership to promote foreign investment into Pakistan.”
The report adds, “China and the United Arab Emirates have led recent investment activity into Karachi, which may be beneficial to both as regional business influencers.”
Five criteria – information exchange, human capital, business activity, governance, and personal well-being – forming the crux of the two set of rankings, Index and Outlook, the report believes, should make it possible to “provide clues as to what critical factors of a city’s performance today will aid in the transformation into a leading smart city of the future.”
“Cities with an engaged network of information-sharing, specialized talent, a vibrant economy, and policies that enable technology adoption and experimentation help to define today’s smart cities and can help others as they seek to adopt smarter policies for the future”, it underlines.