WORLD - ‘Smartest’ Cities for 2024
With global temperatures rising and environmental changes putting pressure on every country, cities are facing new challenges in their plans for a sustainable future. Some destinations, however, have moved aggressively to implement smart solutions that aim to build a higher long-term quality of life, providing guidance for the rest of the world to follow.
To help chart the progress of these initiatives, the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) puts together an annual ranking of the world’s smartest cities, based on the economic and technological strength of each city and how these factors enhance quality of life and provide solutions to societal challenges. Now in its fifth year, the Smart Cities Index 2024 collected data from residents of 142 cities to understand their views on their city’s health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities and governance.
Interestingly, not a single city from North America or Africa cracked the top 20 this year, and all but three cities in the top 20 are located in Europe or Asia.
According to the Smart Cities Index 2024, the world’s ten smartest cities are:
• Zurich
• Oslo
• Canberra
• Geneva
• Singapore
• Copenhagen
• Lausanne
• London
• Helsinki
• Abu Dhabi
-www.bbc.com, 17 July 2024
Arno's Commentary
The BBC article, based on the “Smart Cities Index 2024,” collected information from 142 countries, seeking their level of “health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities and governance.”
Switzerland leads the world, with three cities in the top ten. Following Canberra, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi, the rest of the top ten cities are found in Europe.
This put weight on our understanding that Europe represents the fourth Gentile world empire.
While Europe was once the center of controversy and experienced two World Wars, a drastic change can now be observed, having to do with one word: freedom. One can travel from the tip of Finland in the north to Messina, Italy in the south … from Portugal in the west to Romania in the east, without stopping at borders. Many ask, how was such success possible?
One has to understand that of the about 50 sovereign states, each has their own history, culture, language, and traditions, yet 27 of those states belong to the European Union. There are currently nine states in the accession process; apparently, more are to follow. Again, what is the reason for the virtually unbelievable success? We may use just one word: merchandise. Citizens of states with full membership may go to any other member country to buy, sell, and operate a business.
It seems to be built on the pattern of the United States of America, which is comprised of 50 states, although not really states in the sense of sovereign nations, but rather provinces of Washington, DC. A state is the highest authority over a territory, with its population not necessarily depending on a federal authority.
Why the success? Here we are again forced to point to Revelation 18:3: “For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” This indicates that the success—based on merchandise—is not limited to the European Union but is global. Note the words, “all nations … kings of the earth … merchants of the earth.”
This type of development on the European continent is unprecedented. Daniel the prophet, when defining the fourth Gentile superpower, could not finding a suitable animal for it. Thus, he writes: “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces” (Daniel 7:23).
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
