Bratislava has been ranked 84th out of 102 cities in the new global Smart City Index 2019, which assesses how a city's inhabitants perceive its efforts to be 'smart' and to achieve a balance between the economic and technological aspects of development on the one hand, and the human aspects on the other. The Slovak capital's low ranking was due, for example, to poor quality health-care facilities, a lack of cleanliness in its poorest areas, and the way in which minorities and foreigners are treated in the city, the F.A. Hayek Foundation stated on Tuesday in reference to the survey. The survey's results were based on assessments by the inhabitants of the cities themselves. The worst perception of Bratislava by its inhabitants came in the area of transport, with people pointing to road congestion and poor public transportation. Another negative factor cited was an insufficient number of green areas.
The Smart City Index is presented by the IMD World Competitiveness Centre's Smart City Observatory, in partnership with Singapore's University of Technology and Design. The new Index shows that Bratislava was evaluated negatively by its inhabitants in several key areas. Of the five areas evaluated, Bratislava avoided a significantly negative assessment in only two - health and safety (in terms of public safety and air quality), and opportunities in work and education (in terms of the availability of good schools and jobs). The negative ratings came in the remaining three areas - mobility, activities, and city administration. In comparison to Bratislava's 84th place, Vienna ended up at 17th, Prague 19th, Warsaw 61st, Krakow 69th and Budapest only one place above Bratislava at 83rd. Bucharest was 85th and Sofia 89th. The top three smartest cities in 2019 according to the index are Singapore, Zurich and Oslo.
In response to the survey, Bratislava city spokesman Peter Bubla stated that although Bratislava's infrastructure is progressing, particularly in terms of public transport, this progress will take several years, and this is reflected in the city's life. He added that the environment is also becoming one of the city's top priorities.
