Hong Kong has established itself as the clear early smart city leader in the Asia/Pacific region.
Of the 10 cities in the study, Hong Kong scored in the Top 2 in five of the six categories, and earned top honors in Smart Mobility and Smart People.
Hong Kong is a dense and cosmopolitan city, which has attracted highly educated expatriates from around the globe. Hong Kong is home to eight government-funded universities, which are increasingly attracting foreign students and faculty. According to my research, it is the only city in Asia to average more than one transit ride per day per capita (more than 500 trips per capita per year).
Hong Kong at Night
(Photo by Don Chow)
Hong Kong is also actively leveraging information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve efficiency and citizen services. It was ranked 5th in the world and 2nd in the Asia/Pacific region in the Rutgers study of e-governance. The city has one of the first and most successful implementations of smart cards for residents (Octopus), allowing them to use one card to pay for public transit and parking, schools, and in some cases even access to smarter buildings.
Next page: 2. Singapore
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