In the 2019 Safe Cities Index published on Thursday, 60 cities from five continents were assessed on 4 aspects: digital, infrastructure, health and private safety.
57 indicators were assessed in 4 categories, including 10 latest indicators specializing in environmental resilience. Data was collected from February to April this yr.
“Our research highlights a number of key elements, including joint planning by all stakeholders, both government and non-government, to prepare for shocks; a new understanding of infrastructure using the city’s natural resources as a tool to increase its ability to absorb shocks; and the importance of promoting social connections among citizens to create communities that will work together in times of crisis,” the EIU report said.
Why Singaporeans don’t understand the protests in Hong Kong
Why Singaporeans don’t understand the protests in Hong Kong
Overall, the highest-rated cities provided access to high-quality healthcare and had dedicated cybersecurity teams, local police patrols and disaster continuity planning.
“The study shows how the different types of security are closely interconnected… it is rare to find a city that performs very well in one security pillar and lags in others,” said Naka Kondo, senior editor of EIU.
Singapore set the benchmark for infrastructure and private security, but Tokyo and Osaka were leaders in digital security and health security, respectively.
Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman, Research Fellow on the School of International Studies S. Rajaratnama in Singapore, said: “Singapore would like to continue to maintain its high position in the Safe Cities Index as security and stability are central to its economic development model and aspirations as an international center.
“Against this backdrop, Singapore is investing heavily in security technologies and emergency preparedness to ensure the resilience of its citizens and businesses and the country’s security in a region that is no stranger to security threats.”
Meanwhile, Hong Kong saw a pointy decline in three of the 4 categories. Most notably, it dropped 17 places from fifth to twenty second in digital security as a result of a further indicator for local malware threats.
Rising sea levels plunge Singapore right into a struggle to remain above water
Rising sea levels plunge Singapore right into a struggle to remain above water
Hong Kong’s rating for infrastructure safety also suffered when assessing its ability to administer climate change and disaster risk.
When it involves health safety, town ranked twenty seventh, but still performed well in personal safety, rating third.
The EIU said direct year-on-year comparisons were “impossible” as more indicators were introduced this yr. However, the information used for the newest index doesn’t have in mind the recent protests in Hong Kong.
“The situation in Hong Kong remains dynamic, so at this stage we obviously cannot say exactly what impact this will have on the outcome,” said Simon Baptist, chief global economist and managing director for Asia.
“If there are continued attacks on infrastructure, a continued increase in political instability, social unrest, or if police-community relations cannot be repaired, it is likely that Hong Kong’s score will decline.”
