by BERNAMA / pic by AFP 

KUALA LUMPUR – Tokyo topped the 500 list of world’s most innovative cities published for the 14th year by data analysts 2thinknow this week.

According to a statement, Tokyo’s win was attributed to strong urban technology application, digital capability, and social performance.

Meanwhile, Singapore (5) stayed steady, rising two places globally from its five-year pre-Covid average. The analysts predicted that like Tokyo, Singapore had the digital and economic potential to one day ‘win the city rankings’.

Home to MIT, United States city Boston placed second globally, to defeat previous winner New York. Next place was a rising Sydney, home to a booming start-up industry. Silicon Valley fell to twelfth, its lowest result in over a decade.

In addition, 20 of the top 100 cities were in the Asia region, displacing Europe’s normal hold on the top 100. Constant lockdowns had a “greater impact there damaging to mid-size enterprises”, according to the analysts.

For the first time, more than half (54 per cent) of top 100 cities were in the United States. This included often over-looked cities like Little Rock (82) and Omaha (86), in what was described as a ‘surprise result’ by the data analysts.

Across the full 500 cities, Asian cities rose an average of 34 places for the first time, with Ho Chi Minh City (234) rising 85 places.

The 162 indicators were weighted to address digital transformation, economic recovery, start-ups, technology, smart cities, science, engineering, creativity, mobility and other key civic areas. Data included latest Covid-19 city policies.

2thinknow, the publisher and creator of the city ranking is a data analysts established in Melbourne in 2006 from research started in Vienna in 2005.

All indexes are published on http://www.innovation-cities.com/city-rankings and more details at https://www.innovation-cities.com/innovation-cities-index-2021-global-500/25718/