All cities are preoccupied with the image they project of themselves to the rest of the world. This image may be conveyed through different media: a magazine containing a short feature or mention, a visit by a celebrity and the accompanying media coverage, the inauguration of a novel infrastructure, a major tourist event, etc. 
In fact, all this does is generate non-quantitative perceptions and sensations, and let's make no mistake: we like to compare ourselves with our neighbors and, naturally, to be better than them, and for that we need to transform sensations into figures. In this respect, there is nothing better than a ranking. Everyone likes classifications, especially those that place their city, university, company and, needless to say, their football team, near the top of the list.

This week Indra published the 2014 Smart Cities Report. Although not a ranking in exactly the sense I've just described, it nevertheless fulfills the same purpose.

I could argue that it's an excellent report because my city (Barcelona) comes out way above the average for every element analyzed, and of course that makes me feel proud, but that's not the point I'm trying to make. The reason why I think the report is interesting is that the elements it analyzes are the very aspects which I believe play an important role in how a smart city is conceived: (Time spent commuting, Perception of safety in the city, Quality of the health service, Cleanliness of the city, Perception of sustainability, Response to emergencies, e-Government services in the city).

The first four aspects are very similar to the ones you might think about if you were moving to a new neighborhood: Is it well-connected? Are there hospitals and services nearby and are they good? Is it a safe neighborhood? Is it pleasant and clean? The next four are concerned with what you expect from the government, whether it's sustainable, how it responds to emergencies and whether it's efficient. When we think about smart cities we often imagine vast conurbations, with illuminated glass highways surrounding the buildings, giant screens flashing information and customized ads, or any scene we recall from the movie Back to the Future. But that's not what it's about. I haven't been working at Indra for that long, but I can tell you that in the short time I've been here I've realized something: that citizens have to be the center of the city, and that the city has to find a way of adapting to their needs. A 500-inch screen in the middle of a square doesn't mean a thing if there is no quality information to show or if the information doesn't add value to citizens' lives.

That's why reports like the one published this week are extremely valuable. They clearly identify the things that citizens feel are missing in their city, and they tell the government where it needs to step up its efforts to improve quality of life for everyone. Ultimately, a city is only truly smart if it makes citizens' lives easier.