Tech Capitals of the World: Top Ten Digital Cities
June 20th, 2007 by admin
The Melbourne has compiled an interesting Top Ten Digital Cities List, and 6 of the 'tech capitals' of the world are in Asia.
The top 10 digital cities are ranked according to the following criteria: Broadband speed, cost and availability; Wireless internet access; Technology adoption; Government support for technology; Education and technology culture and Future potential. Arjun Ramachandran writes:
Asian cities scored well on broadband speed and availability, mainly because they have concentrated populations in a small land area. Seoul's excellent wireless coverage, along with government programs such as Seoul Digital City, gave the city top billing.
Stockholm, San Francisco and Silicon Valley lack the affordability of fast broadband in Asian cities but enjoy high levels of education and a culture in favour of technology. In New York, a leading financial hub, access to wireless hotspots is also exceedingly good.
Tallinn and Beijing are cities to watch. Tallinn's government already leads the way in e-government, while Beijing continues to roll out technology through the city ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
Upon completion, New Songdo will likely be the ultimate digital city. Even as a work in progress, it makes the list.
TOP 10 DIGITAL CITIES
1. Seoul, Korea
2. Singapore
3. Tokyo, Japan
4. Hong Kong
5. Stockholm, Sweden
6. San Francisco and Silicon Valley, USA
7. Tallinn, Estonia
8. New York, USA
9. Beijing, China
10. New Songdo City
New Songdo City?, I hear you ask. As well you might -- New Songdo City is a $31 billion city-in-the-making 60 km south of Seoul. Due for completion in 2010, it is an ambitious development on 600 hectares of reclaimed land that will be one of the world's first cities in which all information systems are linked. One wonders: where do the Luddites go?
for more.
Conversely, also check out this interesting and important overview article on the global
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