[Press Release] WeGO Headed Towards Leading Organization in Smart Cities Indexes

SEOUL – The WeGO Smart Cities Index 2022 invited interested cities to participate in the archive of the world’s best smart cities practices. With the collected data and information from cities, a final report is published. The WeGO Smart Cities Index 2022 will enable cities to assess their development stages, benchmark, and gain inspiration from other cities around the world. 

A WeGO-branded Smart Cities Index was developed to set a global agenda in the smart cities community by collecting data from WeGO member cities and assessing the smart sustainable development via the aspects of Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG). In line with the WeGO’s vision in engaging city leaders and communities, the WeGO Smart Cities Index connects the local authorities via data collection and information collaboration, and empowering the role of citizens by understanding local demands or necessities in moving towards the direction of becoming a model of smart city.

As aspired in WeGO’s Mission to be a global platform for cities and their partners to leverage their innovation potential, the WeGO Smart Cities Index aims at serving as a guideline and reference to cities to learn smart cities experience from other cities in the world. The research was conducted with Professor Byoung Joon Kim from the Graduate School of Public Administration at Kookmin University, a renowned professor in the field of smart cities and e-government. 

The study conducted a pilot survey by incorporating a set of 36 indicators that was developed via the dimensions of ESG to investigate the efficiency. A total of 13 WeGO member cities participated in sharing data for formulating the WeGO Smart Cities Index 2022. The 13 respondent cities include Astana (Kazakhstan), Bangkok (Thailand), Bucharest (Romania), Buenos Aires (Costa Rica), Gaziantep (Turkey), Makati (Philippines), São Paulo (Brazil), Seberang Perai (Malaysia), Seoul (Korea), Shivasatakshi (Nepal), Tabriz (Iran), Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), and Wellington (New Zealand). 

With the collected data, heat maps were created for checking up the level of relevancy of the newly introduced smart cities index. The analytical methodology is to draw heat maps that represent the level of performance based on the indicators generated via the dimensions of ESG. 

ESG is the concurring new norm intertwined with corporations and smart city development. Many scholars and professionals have regarded smart cities as technological innovation. However, as the world faces intensifying urban challenges, WeGO stands to be a part of the green transition in cities and people’s lives by highlighting the importance of people-centric smart cities through the lens of ESG.

In addition, in partnership with Institute for Management Development (IMD), IMD’s Smart City Observatory’s President, Bruno Lanvin and WeGO are in the works to formulate a people-centered smart cities index.  

Continuing to become the leading organization in smart cities indices, the Seoul Smart City Prize is also creating a smart cities index using the data collection from applications of cities with the research led by Seoul National University. 

To download the WeGO Smart Cities Index 2022, click here.

About WeGO

The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), is a membership-based international association of local governments, smart tech solution providers, and institutions committed to the transformation of cities into smart sustainable cities through facilitating public-private partnerships (PPP). WeGO was founded by 50 member cities in 2010 as the World e-Governments Organization, hence our acronym. In response to the evolving concept of smart cities, WeGO expanded its vision and mandate at the 7th General Assembly (2017) and its name to the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization. WeGO’s Secretariat is based in Seoul, Korea, and has regional offices in East Asia (Chengdu, China), the Mediterranean (Beyoglu, Turkey), Africa (Abuja, Nigeria), Middle East & North Africa (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), Latin America (Cuenca, Ecuador), and Central Asia (Almaty, Kazakhstan). As the leading platform on smart city development, WeGO’s mission is to share knowledge and good practices in e-Governance; strengthen administrative efficiency and transparency; advance digital capacity; facilitate civic involvement; bridge the digital divide and inequality; and promote cooperation solidarity among cities and local governments around the world.

WeGO serves for its members as their international platform to improve the quality of life, innovate in the delivery of public services, and strengthen regional competitiveness.

Press Contact:
Name:  Jin Hwang
E-mail: jin.hwang@we-gov.org
Phone: 02-720-2931