Using benchmarking to improve urban mobility: A new tool for building smart cities in emerging countries

Currently, smart city measurements and rankings often overlook key factors, such as size, population and economic tradition, leading to unrealistic goals being set when cities with different histories are compared with unattainable benchmarks. The present article argues that considering these factors can help city planners to achieve more efficient, incremental improvements. Focusing on mobility, this study compares a mid-sized city in southern Brazil with Aarhus, Denmark, a city of similar size and economic tradition. A diagnostic tool was developed to assess the urban mobility strengths and weaknesses of the Brazilian city through benchmarking. The results indicated that the city’s urban mobility could be improved by implementing simple solutions: (i) enhancing the attractiveness of the public transport system; (ii) promoting bicycle use; and (iii) improving access to real-time information.