Tokyo, Singapore and Osaka have once again been named the world’s safest cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in its third set of rankings based on urban safety and resilience. Hong Kong, on the other hand, dropped to 20th after ranking 11th in 2015 and ninth in 2017. Other Asian cities ranked even lower included Beijing (31), Kuala Lumpur (35) and Jakarta (53). In the Safe Cities Index 2019, released on Thursday, 60 cities from five continents were assessed on four factors: digital, infrastructure, health and personal security. Across the four categories, there were 57 indicators evaluated – including 10 new indicators emphasising environmental resilience. Data was collected from February to April this year.“Our research points to a number of key elements, including joint planning by all relevant stakeholders, both governmental and non-governmental, to prepare for shocks; a new understanding of infrastructure that uses a city’s natural assets as tools to enhance its ability to absorb shocks; and the importance of promoting social connectedness among citizens in creating communities that will work together in a crisis,” the EIU report said.
