Communities from seven nations over five continents named as semi-finalists in ICF’s annual Intelligent Community of the Year Awards Program

(March 20, 2024 – New York, NY, USA & Taipei, Taiwan) – At the conclusion of a conference hosted by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), the ICF Taiwan organization and the ICF Institute in Taiwan, ICF today named the world’s Smart21 Communities of 2024. The announcement was made at the conclusion of the Smart Cities and Intelligent Communities conference, conducted as part of the Taiwan Smart City Summit & Expo in Taipei.

The selection of the annual Smart21 Communities of the Year marks the semi-finalist phase in ICF’s annual Awards Program. The program will conclude when ICF names the 2024 Intelligent Community of the Year at the ICF Summit in November. One of these 21 communities named today will succeed Binh Duong, Vietnam, the 2023 Intelligent Community of the Year.

Each of the cities, towns, or regions that appear in the Smart21 have applied the six principles of the Community Accelerator Strategy to begin building inclusive economic prosperity, social health and cultural richness, which together make a community strong and resilient. Most have been working on their programs for several years.

The Smart21 Communities of 2024:

• Assaí, Paraná, Brazil
• Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
• Coral Gables, Florida, USA
• Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
• Defiance, Ohio, USA
• Doral, Florida, USA
• Durham Region, Ontario, Canada
• Fairfield/Jefferson County, Iowa, USA
• Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
• Greater Geelong, Victoria, Australia
• Grey County, Ontario, Canada
• Hilliard, Ohio, USA
• Izmir, Turkey
• Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain
• Markham, Ontario, Canada
• Pingtung County, Taiwan
• Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil
• Taitung County, Taiwan
• Warner Robins, Georgia, USA
• Woodstock, Georgia, USA
• Yunlin County, Taiwan

The Smart21 Communities of 2024 include cities and counties from seven countries spread over five continents. The announcement video may be viewed below. The video is also available by request as a high-resolution download.

“This year’s list is among the most diverse geographically in years, including the world’s first Intelligent Community from Turkey. We also saw a sharp rise in USA participation, including two communities from the state of Georgia, as well as a return by Taiwan communities to the list. We are seeing an acceleration in the development of cities and an emphasis on economic development working in conjunction with more robust digital infrastructure and a strategic focus on serving citizens and building trust in a divided world. It’s a gratifying development,” said ICF Co-Founder Louis Zacharilla.

Next Steps in the Award Program
Following this announcement, the Smart21 will provide more information on their challenges and successes. From this data, ICF Analysts will select seven to be named the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2024 at a conference taking place in June. The Top7 will then be the focus of the 2024 ICF Global Summit in November, where one will be named the Intelligent Community of the Year.

The Smart21 are selected by ICF based on quantitative and qualitative data related to the six Factors of the Community Accelerator Strategy. The Community Accelerator Strategy provides the conceptual framework for understanding the factors that determine a community’s competitiveness in economic, social and cultural terms. Click here to learn more.

The announcement concluded the Smart Cities and Intelligent Communities conference, held during the Taiwan Smart City Summit & Expo, which featured speakers from communities in the US, Canada, Finland, Taiwan, The Netherlands and Spain. The conference harnessed the collective expertise of domestic and international stakeholders, including smart city advocates and solution providers, to explore how digital technology can revolutionize urban and rural development. The Smart Cities and Intelligent Communities conference was attended by an economic development mission of ICF member communities, including delegates from technology companies, universities and public-private accelerators. Archive videos of conference sessions will be released on ICF’s YouTube page next week. The full program can be found here.

About the Intelligent Community Forum
Starting in 2000 with a research project comparing cities in various nations, the Intelligent Community Forum (www.intelligentcommunity.org) created a unique, data-driven approach to development that puts citizens first while tapping the enormous economic and social potential of technology. In a world dominated by digital, ICF’s mission is to help communities create innovative and growing economies, inclusive societies and affirming cultures open to the world. We do it for communities large and small, in urban clusters and outlying suburbs and rural places through training, consulting, assessment, certification and award programs. ICF believes that digital connectivity and technology create the opportunity for almost every community to develop a dynamic local economy and the social and cultural strengths that go with it – giving them all a chance to be great places to live, work, learn, grow, raise a family and prepare a path for the next generation.

The Forum sponsors Institutes in North America dedicated to the study of the movement, and national organizations in Canada and Taiwan, both home to many Intelligent Communities. In 2012 ICF was invited to participate at the Nobel Peace Prize conference in Oslo and in 2014, its model and work was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which, according to the American government, was "aimed at creating a more flexible and responsive system of workforce development to meet the needs of employers looking to fill 21st century jobs.”

For more information, go to www.intelligentcommunity.org/icf_membership. For more details on the Intelligent Community Forum’s recent publications and programs, www.intelligentcommunity.org.

Intelligent Community Forum Contacts
Matthew Owen, Executive Director, Intelligent Community Forum
Tel. +1 646-291-6166 (x105)
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @Newcommunities

Victoria Krisman, Communications Manager, Intelligent Community Forum
Email: [email protected]