TOKYO WINS, BEATS 'FUTURE WINNER' SINGAPORE

TOKYO WINS, BEATS 'FUTURE WINNER' SINGAPORE - ASIAN CITIES UP 34 PLACES IN 500 INNOVATION CITIES - 14TH CITY RANKING

MELBOURNE, July 16 (Bernama)-- Tokyo topped the five hundred list of world's most innovative cities (https://www.innovation-cities.com/innovation-cities-index-2021-global-500/25718/) published for the 14th year by data analysts 2thinknow this week. Tokyo's win was attributed to strong urban technology application, digital capability, and social performance.

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.

Seoul (7) rose seven places from the last year of results (2019). Dallas-Fort Worth (6) and Houston (8) entering the global top-ten this year due to strong economies. Shanghai (15) rose eighteen places ahead of a rising Miami (17) and cycling innovator Amsterdam (24). A surging Beijing (19) rose seven places.

Twenty of the top hundred cities were in the Asia region, displacing Europe's normal hold on the top hundred. Constant lockdowns had a "greater impact there damaging to mid-size enterprises", according to the analysts.

For the first time, more than half (54%) of top hundred 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 five hundred cities, Asian cities rose an average of 34 places for the first time. Ho Chi Minh City (234) rose 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.

The analysts noted that the Innovation Cities Index was based on a shorter timeframe than usual. This was due to risks such as rapid inflation, ongoing fiscal stimulus, and systemic infringements on personal liberty by many governments.

INFORMATION

All indexes are published on http://www.innovation-cities.com/city-rankings. 162 indicators of data can be purchased. The publisher and creator of the city ranking is 2thinknow, data analysts established in Melbourne in 2006 from research started in Vienna in 2005.

Contact:

Christopher Hire Director

Data, 2THINKNOW

+61386780319

media@2thinknow.com

SOURCE: 2THINKNOW

--BERNAMA