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.

Comments

Beyond India-China borders: Economic links expand, political gaps persist

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* Despite growing trade between India and China, a persistent trust deficit continues to shape their bilateral relationship. Expanding economic engagement has not fully resolved political differences, many of which stem from historical legacies as well as contemporary geopolitical concerns. Border disputes—often traced to colonial-era arrangements—remain a significant obstacle to deeper cooperation, while differing strategic alignments in global affairs add further complexity.

GreenTech Summit claims NCR as key green building hub, without pan-India comparison

By A Representative The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), under the Confederation of Indian Industry, held its GreenTech Summit 2026 in New Delhi, where industry representatives, policymakers and sustainability professionals discussed the adoption of climate technologies in India’s built environment.

Gujarat cadre to HDFC: When bureaucratic style hits corporate walls

By Rajiv Shah I was a little amused by the abrupt March 17, 2026 resignation of Atanu Chakraborty —a Gujarat cadre IAS officer of the 1985 batch who retired from the government in 2020—as chairman of HDFC Bank . Much of what may have led to his decision to quit this ostensibly high post—actually a non-executive, part-time role—is by now well known. I followed most of it online with considerable interest, partly because I had interacted with him umpteen times during my stint as The Times of India correspondent in Gandhinagar from 1997 to 2012.

Operation Epic Fury: Making America great at the world’s expense?

By N.S. Venkataraman* The decades-long enmity between Iran and Israel is well-documented, but historically, their direct confrontations have been brief, constrained by the logistical and economic limitations of sustained warfare. The current conflict in the Middle East, however, marks a radical and dangerous departure from this pattern.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

India has been getting its economic growth wrong for two decades, say top economists

By Jag Jivan* India's official GDP figures have misrepresented the trajectory of the world's fifth-largest economy for the better part of two decades, according to a major new working paper published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE). It finds that India overstated annual growth by up to two percentage points after 2011 — and understated it during the boom years of the 2000s.

'Tax the top': Nationwide protests demand action as 1% control 40% of India’s wealth

By A Representative Civil rights groups across the country observed the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh on March 23, as people from diverse backgrounds united to raise their voices against growing economic inequality. The mobilisations marked the launch of a nationwide campaign against inequality, running from March 23 to April 14 (Ambedkar Jayanti), under the banner of the “Tax The Top” campaign.

Beyond the election manifesto: Why climate is now a kitchen table issue

By Vikas Meshram* March has long been a month of gentle transition, the period when winter softly retreats and a mild warmth signals nature’s renewal. Yet, in recent years, this dependable rhythm has been disrupted. This year, since the beginning of March, temperatures across vast swathes of the country have shattered previous records, soaring to between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius in some regions. This is not a mere fluctuation in the weather; it is a serious and alarming indicator of climate change .

Search This Blog