Singapore gets top accolade at Smart City Expo World Congress

SINGAPORE has been named Smart City of 2018 at Smart City Expo World Congress held in Barcelona.

Singapore was picked from seven finalists, the six others include London (United Kingdom), Melbourne (Australia), Haifa (Israel), Dijon (France), Florence (Italy) and Santiago (Chile).

The Smart City Awards jury, comprised of representatives from the Barcelona City Council, the UITP International Association of Public Transport, UN-Habitat, the World Bank and Smart City Expo World Congress.  The jury noted that Singapore has "become a global beacon of the urban transformation".  The city state has implemented smart urban solutions "in a meaningful manner that not only enhances its functions, but also improves the services provided to its citizens and through them their quality of life".

New York and Dubai were previous winners of the same award.

Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Transport, Communications and Information Janil Puthucheary said:  "Singapore's Smart Nation efforts are about the transformation of our country, through technology. We will continue to create a better lived experience for our citizens, and these efforts must benefit our future generations as well."

Dr Janil is concurrently the minister-in-charge of the Government Technology Agency.