There are clear strategies to build an intelligent community and intelligent communities attract new economic investment

Moscow, Russia – Moscow International Foreign Investment Forum – 17-18 October 2012 – At the first-ever Moscow International Foreign Investment Forum Intelligent Community Forum co-founder John Jung is giving a presentation detailing the steps cities need to take to future-proof themselves in the new broadband-based economy. The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) studies the world’s cities to discover and then share the strategies used to create an Intelligent Community.

“Moscow will add to the economic growth it already has by applying the strategies we have seen used in successful communities around the world,” says Jung. Jung delivers his presentation on the afternoon of October 17 to an audience including the Russian Federation’s Minister of Culture, Moscow’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Policy and the Chairman of the Moscow Federation of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

One of the success stories tracked by the ICF is the community of Oulu, Finland. In 2012 it was chosen as one of the Top7 Intelligent Cities in the world. Oulu decided to embrace technology and diversify the city’s economy in fact Oulu built a reputation as one of Europe’s most innovative tech centers, developing many “firsts” in the global technology industry and in the past three years the city of 142,000 people created 7,000 new jobs. Oulu also worked to develop a climate that fosters innovation and the creation of new companies. Moscow shares many characteristics with Oulu, which is located only 200 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, so both cities experience long, snowy winters, and government plays a large role in the economic life of both cities.

The Oulu story is part of a new book co-authored by Jung and his ICF co-founders, Louis Zacharilla and Robert Bell. Entitled Seizing our Destiny and to be released on October 21, 2012, the book provides profiles of the Top7 cities of 2012 and extensive analysis of the lessons they provide to other communities. In his Moscow presentation Jung draws on the success stories of a dozen intelligent cities to illustrate the key steps that other cities have taken and suggest Moscow take some of the same steps as the city moves into what Moscow’s mayor describes as a new urban development and economic phase.

The new ICF book reveals a broad range of actions that can stimulate an economy, for example a ten percent growth in broadband penetration adds one to three percent to a country’s gross domestic product, or how 80 per cent of GDP growth comes from the introduction of new technology, or how 50% of productivity improvements in the private sector come from the use of ICT. “Communities need to work on the complete package and include everything from quality of life to culture, education and innovation. At ICF we help cities to do that with research, information and education services that can accelerate a community into the new economy” says Jung.

All the world’s communities are challenged to deal with the new economy where jobs, investment and knowledge increasingly depend on advances in communications. For the 21st Century community, connectivity has changed the traditional ways of living yet there are also all the new ICT tools to enable new opportunities. ICF identifies and explains the new economy, conducts research into best practices, and celebrates the best of the world's Intelligent Communities.

About Intelligent Community Forum

The Intelligent Community Forum is a New York-based think tank that studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community. In the 21st Century community, connectivity is changing the definition and experience of communities: threatening established ways of life while also offering powerful new tools to build prosperous, inclusive economies. The Intelligent Community Forum seeks to share the best practices and success of the world's Intelligent Communities in adapting to the demands of what it calls “the Broadband Economy” by conducting research, hosting events, publishing books and newsletters and producing an international awards program. ICF’s publications include Broadband Economies (2008), Future Cities (2009) Seizing our Destiny (2012) and an annual report on the year’s Top Seven Intelligent Communities. For more information, www.intelligentcommunity.org.

Intelligent Community Forum Contacts

John Jung
Co-Founder Intelligent Community Forum
Phone: 1-519-575-6672 (Cell)
7-495-745-1000 Lotte Hotel
Email: [email protected]

Paul Brent
Senior Communications Specialist
market2world communications inc.
Phone: 011-1-613-256-3939
Email: [email protected]