What do Intelligent Communities know that others do not? Intelligent Communities like Espoo (Finland), Dublin (Ohio, USA), Eindhoven (The Netherlands), Tallinn (Estonia) and the current Intelligent Community of the Year, Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) are no longer just “smart cities.” They have gone at least one level higher. In our Moment of Truth podcast series, we ask them when they realized that they had gone from “smart city” to Intelligent Community, and what exactly it means to them. We also ask how they managed to get there.
Dana McDaniel is the City Manager of Dublin, Ohio. He is the chief administrative and law enforcement officer of the City of Dublin, responsible to City Council for the day-to-day operations for the City. Other responsibilities include advising Council regarding the financial status and future needs of the City, reporting to Council on the general operating of City departments, divisions, offices, boards, commissions, bureaus and agencies, as well as exercising leadership in the development of City projects.
Greg Dunn is a Partner with Ice Miller. He has a comprehensive knowledge of both public utility and broadband issues and regularly works with clients on Smart City initiatives and public-private partnerships. His clients include municipalities, The Ohio State Supercomputer Center, competitive local exchange carriers (CLEC), data centers and wireless providers. He also consults on state of Ohio broadband and Internet of Things (IoT) public policy issues with Ice Miller Whiteboard LLC and has Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) experience in electric issues.
More about Dublin: In the United States, the financial crisis of 2008 gave rise to plunging property values, massive government deficits on the national and state levels and an anguished round of budget-cutting. Which makes all the more remarkable the steady, long-term approach of the small city of Dublin, Ohio USA.
Most American cities and towns fund themselves on property and sales taxes, but Dublin has a local income tax. It provides a dependable stream of revenue that allows the city to maintain ample cash reserves and plan for the long term. Dublin also has a successful track record at using its income tax receipts as collateral for what is called tax-increment financing. This has helped make possible a virtuous cycle in which savvy investments by the city attract investments by business that create high-quality employment. With a population of 41,000, Dublin has a labor force today of 70,000, drawn to the city from throughout the Columbus metropolitan area.
Much of this investment in in physical infrastructure Twenty-five percent of the 2% income tax is dedicated to capital improvements, which have included the Emerald Parkway, the Dublin Community Recreation Center, and a planned 1,300 Innovation Park, a next-generation technology business campus that aims to unite the community’s strengths in ICT, research and development. Government services are also well-funded; all three secondary schools in the city were named to Newsweek magazine’s 2010 list of top schools in the country.
But one form of infrastructure stands out in Dublin, and has become a connecting thread that unifies and powers its other economic and social assets. They call it DubLink. Read more >>>
