(New York City, May 4, 2009) - The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), an independent think tank which studies the relationship between broadband and economic and social development worldwide, released its first white paper of 2009. "
The Top Seven Intelligent Communities of 2009" offers in-depth profiles of the Top Seven
(previously announced in January 2009) and analyzes the factors that make them models for the development of prosperous, inclusive communities in today's challenging economic climate.
The Top Seven Intelligent Communities of 2009 are: Bristol, Virginia, USA; Eindhoven, Netherlands; Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada; Issy-les-Moulineaux, France; Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada; Stockholm Sweden; and Tallinn, Estonia. The Top Seven mark the second phase of ICF’s Intelligent Community of the Year Awards process, which begins in June when hundreds of communities from around the world submit nominations and culminates in the selection of the Intelligent Community of the Year in May at the Building the Broadband Economy summit (
www.icsfummit.com) in New York City. ICF has presented these awards since 1999 to honor the achievements of communities tackling the complex tasks of building and maintaining competitive and inclusive local economies in the global Broadband Economy. Selection of honorees is based on evaluation by two sets of independent experts as well as the vote of a select international jury.
The white paper examines the economic and social challenges faced by each community and the mix of strategy, experimentation and execution that has created a sustainable foundation for economic growth. The analysis is based on performance within ICF's five Intelligent Community Indicators: broadband deployment, the ability to create and sustain a knowledge-based workforce, digital inclusion, innovation, marketing and advocacy. The 2009 Award program also evaluates communities based on their ability to create a "culture of use" that helps citizens and organizations to make broadband applications a part of their daily lives, which increases efficiency, expands their knowledge and improves living standards.
Best Practices of the Top Seven
The 2009 white paper identifies a number of best practices from the history of the Top Seven that offer examples to other communities seeking growth in a global economic crisis. These range from using existing public and private telecom demand to fund the deployment of broadband, to creating a public-private partnership dedicated to spurring innovation in business and public sector applications. Several of the communities have also found striking ways to build culture of use by involving the young and old, poor and affluent in digital technologies.
“All of the communities in ICF’s Top Seven share common characteristics," said ICF Executive Director Robert Bell. "They have recognized and benefited from collaboration among the government, business and nonprofit sectors. They have benefited from strong leadership, where an individual or group outlined a clear vision, attracted support throughout the community and executed the programs that deliver on the vision. But this year’s Top Seven differ from their predecessors in one important way – their achievements are being viewed in the context of the first global recession since the 1930s. ICF is honored to have the opportunity to learn from them and share their best practices with communities around the world that are looking to make their way in today’s tough market.”
About ICF
The Intelligent Community Forum is a think tank that studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community. Whether in industrial or developing nations, communities are challenged to create prosperity, stability and cultural meaning in a world where jobs, investment and progress increasingly depend on broadband communications. For the 21st Century community, connectivity is a double-edge sword: threatening established ways of life on the one hand, and offering powerful new tools to build prosperous, inclusive economies on the other. The Intelligent Community Forum seeks to share the secrets of success of the world's Intelligent Communities in adapting to the demands of the Broadband Economy by conducting research, hosting events, publishing newsletters and producing an international awards program.
Contacts:
Orly Konig Lopez
Communications Manager, Intelligent Community Forum
orly@intelligentcommunity.org
+1 240-252-5928
+1 646-291-6166 (x104)
