Opening Ceremony
Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, PolyU President said that through SCRI under the PAIR, the University will further integrate interdisciplinary research capabilities to drive sustainable development in Hong Kong and cities worldwide.
Dr Stephen Wong, Head of the Chief Executive's Policy Unit of the HKSAR Government said that the Conference is a perfect demonstration of our ongoing efforts to promote knowledge exchange and collaboration with international peers.
A team led by Prof. John Shi, Director of SCRI, Chair Professor of LSGI, and President of ISUI, announced the Smart City Index 2025.
Group photo of opening ceremony
The Global Smart Cities Summit cum the 4th International Conference on Urban Informatics, co-organised by the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) and the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), together with the International Society for Urban Informatics (ISUI), successfully concluded at PolyU. The event brought together over 600 experts, government officials, industry leaders, and innovators from more than 20 countries, and attracted over 110,000 online viewers worldwide.
A highlight of the conference was the joint announcement by SCRI and ISUI of the ISUI Smart City Index 2025, developed by a team led by Prof. John Wenzhong Shi, Director of SCRI, Chair Professor of LSGI, President of ISUI. The Index utilises a human-centric evaluation framework comprising six dimensions—citizen, environment, social landscape, economy, infrastructure, and governance—across 97 indicators. With a focus on how smart city initiatives enhance the daily lives of citizens, the Index empowers cities worldwide to assess their progress and enables authorities to formulate strategies for a smarter and more sustainable future.
The ISUI Smart City Index adopts an inclusive approach applicable to cities at all stages of development, from advanced to developing and emerging economies, using only publicly available data. This broader perspective enables more relevant and effective policy formulation globally. It assessed 73 cities worldwide, with the top 10 ranked cities being Stockholm, Washington, D.C., Barcelona, London, Tokyo, Zurich, New York, Hong Kong, Copenhagen, and Oslo. Hong Kong ranked eighth globally and second in Asia, outperforming major regional competitors such as Singapore, as well as key cities in Europe and North America. Notably, Hong Kong excelled in the dimensions of environment, economy, and governance.
Full report of the Smart City Index 2025:
https://www.isocui.org/smart_city_index
Details of the Conference: https://www.isocui.org/icui2025/
