San Francisco tied with Los Angeles for the #4 spot.
The Economist Intelligence Unit recently reported their 2021 Safe Cities Index, which evaluates 60 of the world’s most prominent cities based on digital security, health security, infrastructure security, personal security, and environmental security. San Francisco tied with Los Angeles as the world’s fourth-best city for digital security, behind Sydney, Singapore and Copenhagen.
The cities are ranked on a 100-point scale across all categories. San Francisco ranked as #4 for digital security (82/100), #11 for health security (77.3/100), #18 for infrastructure security (83.6/100), #30 for personal security (64.9/100, tied with Chicago), and #19 for environmental security (78.3/100). That puts us at #15 overall with a score of 77.2/100, tied with London.
#Toronto came second in our #SafeCitiesIndex 2021, it is also 2nd on the new environmental security pillar. How safe is your city in terms of #sustainability issues and climate adaptation measures? Learn more >https://t.co/nAQHAthwo6 via @NEC pic.twitter.com/PBYeHsqw6L
— The Economist Intelligence Unit (@TheEIU) August 23, 2021
In the era of Covid, the Safe Cities Index is especially telling as we consider security infrastructure in its many forms. As more and more work has shifted online, digital security is an even higher priority around the world.
The study found that digital security in general is quite lacking, especially considering how many cities are working to become “smart cities,” that is, cities that use electronic methods and sensors to collect data about their populations. Internet connectivity is becoming a basic part of daily life, but only about a quarter of the study’s cities have incorporated digital security partnerships. In general, the study found that North American cities prioritize digital security, while European ones prioritize personal security.
During the last three iterations of the Safe Cities Index, the world’s top 3 cities across the board have always been Tokyo, Singapore, and Osaka, in that order. Amsterdam, Melbourne, and Sydney have also landed consistently in the top 10. This year, perhaps as a result of pandemic-related changes, Copenhagen and Toronto claimed the top 2 spots.
The overall highest-ranking US city is New York, at #11 (tied with Barcelona). Other highly-performing US cities include Washington, D.C. (#14 overall), Los Angeles (#18 overall), and Chicago (#20 overall).
Featured image: Photo by Jared Erondu on Unsplash