Amman stands at 128th globally in smart city index

AMMAN — The Jordan Strategy Forum (JSF) has recently announced that Amman City has progressed seven ranks in the 2024 Smart City Observatory according to a study conducted by the academic institute IMD.

Amman now stands at 128th place out of the 142 cities evaluated, making it the tenth highest-ranking city among its Arab counterparts.

The JSF’s detailed analysis of the latest index shows that Amman has shown progress across several key indicators, including the inclusion of citizens in governmental decision-making, which has risen from 15.3 per cent in 2023 to 28.7 per cent in 2024.

The JSF also highlighted that the city’s recycling services have seen an improvement in overall satisfaction, according to a statement made available to The Jordan Times.

The Smart City Index aims to survey the current status of smart city progression, presenting a balanced focus on economic and technological aspects of smart cities, and humane dimensions of smart cities including the quality of life, environment, and inclusiveness, according to the IMD website.

The index, which gathers data from 142 cities worldwide, noted "the global landscape of smart cities is continually evolving. However, the most dramatic changes are observed among middle-ranking cities rather than the top performers."

The 2024 edition of the index also identified unemployment, high housing costs, traffic congestion, and corruption as the main challenges still confronting the Jordanian capital.

In terms of Amman City’s health, safety, and mobility structures, the index reported that basic sanitation services meet the needs of the city’s poorest areas by 54.5 per cent. Recycling services received a satisfactory score of 37.7 per cent, while public transport satisfaction came in at 39.2 per cent.

Additionally, the index indicated that the availability of green spaces in Amman has a satisfaction level of 37.6 per cent.

On the global stage, Zurich took the top spot, followed by Oslo, Canberra, Geneva, and Singapore, respectively.