The city of Hilliard, Ohio had a problem. Despite a great location bordering the state capital, the city was stuck with low-capacity, low-reliability broadband that harmed its economic competitiveness. Building a complete network itself was out of the question. Instead, Hilliard made a modest but smart investment and leveraged it to attract ISPs, automate city operations and interconnect with regional networks.

How did Hilliard do it? ICF tells the story in an online profile – one of hundreds demonstrating how communities use technology to create inclusive prosperity, strengthen social bonds and enrich local culture for their people.

Learn more

Hilliard’s success is based on more than broadband. Learn how Hilliard’s public schools help students develop their interests, skills and ambitions in partnership with employers and entrepreneurs. It’s all in Accelerating Your Economic Development, a discount bundle of courses in the Community Accelerator online training program. Hilliard is profiled in the course on Creating the Workforce Your Future Demands. Produced in partnership with Economic Development Australia and the Economic Developers Association of Canada.

Communities accelerate by starting an Intelligent Community Journey. Each is different but all follow similar paths from which you can learn. Start yours.

New Taipei City was created in 2010 from 29 districts surrounding Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. In just five decades, that nation grew from a producer of low-cost ceramics and electronics into a technology leader whose companies produce most of the world’s semiconductors, mobile phones and computer motherboards. That success demanded a relentless focus on upskilling workers and training new ones – and New Taipei City has done its part for the benefit not only of its companies but of its 4 million people as well.

How did New Taipei City do it? ICF tells the story in an online profile – one of hundreds demonstrating how communities use technology to create inclusive prosperity, strengthen social bonds and enrich local culture for their people.

Communities accelerate by starting an Intelligent Community Journey. Each is different but all follow similar paths from which you can learn. Start yours. 

The full Community Accelerator program includes seven courses, each covering a vital area of economic and community development. They describe why each area matters and the opportunities it offers. Through case studies of cities, counties and regions, they show how to build enduring prosperity, social inclusion and a supportive culture for your people. Download a list of the topics you will learn and the competencies you will gain from the courses.

Thriving in Binary

Your community’s present and future are being shaped by the digital innovations unleashed over the past 40 years – with the explosive disruptions of AI just over the horizon. Learn how we got here and how one small city has turned the continuing digital revolution to its advantage, reversing decades of decline. It’s an entertaining and informative introduction to ICF’s unique framework for economic and community development, based on the best practices of more than 200 cities, counties and regions around the world. Free on our learning platform – no strings attached! 

Connectivity: Foundation for Digital Opportunity

Second edition with all-new content! Learn how communities like yours have built municipal or county-wide networks, expanded them to serve the entire community and turned broadband into economic opportunity for residents, entrepreneurs and employers. Use cases from cities and counties in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe and the US share principles and specific steps you can adapt in your own community. 12-month subscription: US$99.95. Try before you buy: Take a free mini-course.

Creating the Workforce Your Future Demands

Second edition with all-new content! Today, knowledge and skills are the only route to personal and community prosperity. But unless you connect education to employment, you are exporting your best talent to some other place. A local ladder of opportunity can make all the difference. Learn how to build one in this  online course, which shares the best practices of communities in the US, Canada, Europe and Taiwan. 12-month subscription: US$99.95. Try before you buy: Take a free mini-course.

Innovation: Building an Ecosystem for Growth

Second edition with all-new content! Innovation from existing and new businesses is the prime driver of economic growth. But how do you help them innovate? It takes an ecosystem of partners working in concert, and it can happen in small cities and rural counties as well as big cities. Learn how in this online course, which shares the best practices of communities in Asia, Latin America, Europe and the US. 12-month subscription: US$99.95. Try before you buy: Take a free mini-course.

Engaging the Community in Positive Change

Second edition with all-new content! Community development has more to do with economic development than you might think. From business innovation to envisioning the future, community engagement can be a powerful driver of economic growth. Learn how in this online course, which shares the best practices of communities in Australia, Europe and South America. 12-month subscription: US$99.95. Try before you buy: Take a free mini-course.

Inclusion: Overcoming the Digital Divide

Digital inclusion is more than a social concern. It is a barrier to full participation in your economy, whether for an individual or a small business. Learn what has worked for hundreds of communities in this online course, which shares the best practices of communities in Australia, Europe and the US. 12-month subscription: US$99.95. Try before you buy: Take a free mini-course.

Sustainability: Quality of Life, Engagement & Growth

Sustainability practices are about more than EV charging stations and LEED-certified buildings. They are a path to better quality of life, greater resilience in the future – and the biggest economic opportunity of the next half century. Learn how you can get your share in this online course, which shares the best practices of communities in Australia, Canada and the US. 12-month subscription: US$99.95. Try before you buy: Take a free mini-course.

The farms and fisheries of Yunlin County produce the food that feeds Taiwan, and its natural beauty and ancient temples are a tourist magnet. But its future is threatened by the aging of its agricultural workforce and the departure of too many young people seeking career opportunities beyond the county’s borders. 

County government has met the challenge through partnerships with universities, colleges and national government programs. Together, they are bringing technology solutions to improve productivity and enable fewer workers to do more. They are grounding students in STEAM technologies, connecting education to employment and providing pathways for young entrepreneurs to prosper without leaving home. 

Learn more

How did Yunlin County do it? ICF tells the story in an online profile – one of hundreds on our site that take you inside technology-centric development of communities that builds inclusive prosperity, strengthens societies and enriches local culture.

Learn from Yunlin County and 21 other communities in Accelerate Your Economic Development, a discount bundle of courses in the Community Accelerator online training program. Yunlin County is profiled in the course on Creating the Workforce Your Future Demands. Produced in partnership with Economic Development Australia and the Economic Developers Association of Canada. 

Communities accelerate by starting an Intelligent Community Journey. Each is different, but all follow similar paths. Start yours.

When telecommunication was liberalized in the US in 1996, the Ohio city of Dublin began installing a network of underground conduit in partnership with a private company. The idea was to encourage private carriers to deploy broadband by saving them on installation costs. When the private sector was slow to act, the city installed its own optical fiber to connect city facilities – a common move to improve service and save money. They called the network Dublink.

Twenty-five years later, Dublink does much more than deliver city services. It has become a major engine of business attraction and retention. It is a backbone for Wi-Fi and fiber-to-the-home networks and brings supercomputing capacity to the city. It drives a diverse startup economy and helps power a regional development program attracting hundreds of millions in investment. 

Learn more

How did Dublin do it? ICF tells the story in an online profile – one of hundreds on our site that take you inside technology-centric development of communities that builds inclusive prosperity, strengthens societies and enriches local culture.

Learn from Dublin and 12 other communities in Connect Your Community to Opportunity, a discount bundle of courses in the Community Accelerator online training program. Dublin is profiled in the course on Connectivity: Foundation of Digital Opportunity. Produced in partnership with Economic Development Australia and the Economic Developers Association of Canada.

Communities accelerate by starting an Intelligent Community Journey. Each is different, but all follow similar paths. Start yours.

Starting in 1950, the collapse of employment in textile manufacturing and tobacco processing nearly drove Danville, Virginia into the ground. But in the 21st Century, out-migration yielded to new businesses and new residents, leading Site Selection magazine to twice name it one of the top 10 “micropolitan cities” in America. It took hard work, good luck and one more thing: the Community Accelerator Strategy.

Learn more

How did Danville do it? ICF tells the story in an online profile - one of hundreds on our site that take you inside technology-centric development of communities that builds inclusive prosperity, strengthens societies and enriches local culture. 

Learn from Danville and 21 other communities in Accelerate Your Economic Development, a discount bundle of courses in the Community Accelerator online training program. Danville is profiled in the course on Innovation: Building an Ecosystem for Growth. Produced in partnership with Economic Development Australia and the Economic Developers Association of Canada

Communities accelerate by starting an Intelligent Community Journey. Each is different, but all follow similar paths. Start yours.

In the 1970s, an oil crisis and rising wave of globalization led national government to drop tariff barriers to stimulate growth. For Greater Geelong, the shock was tremendous. Its manufacturing sector collapsed, beginning an economic decline that went on for decades. But by 2023, the city’s gross regional product (GRP), at A$19.6 billion, was the third fastest growing among large regional areas, with employment expanding at double the rate of population growth.

Learn more

How did Greater Geelong do it? ICF tells the story in an online profile - one of hundreds on our site that takes you inside technology-centric development of communities that builds inclusive prosperity, strengthens societies and enriches local culture.

Learn from Greater Geelong and 9 other communities in Developing a Stronger Community, a discount bundle of courses in the Community Accelerator online training program. Greater Geelong is profiled in the course on Engaging the Community in Positive Change. Produced in partnership with Economic Development Australia and the Economic Developers Association of Canada.

Communities accelerate by starting an Intelligent Community Journey. Each is different, but all follow similar paths. Start yours.
 
 

In 2000, the city of Columbus faced an uncertain future. Like most of Ohio, it was part of the “Rust Belt,” describing a manufacturing economy that had been decimated by globalization. It had plenty of strengths as the state capital, home of two major universities and the world’s largest private research institute. This enabled the city to outperform other Ohio cities – but only by remaining stagnant economically while they were declining.

Determined to make the city’s many assets live up to their potential, Columbus attacked its challenges on multiple fronts. It led formation of the Columbus Partnership, a collaboration among government, education, business and institutions. The Central Ohio Compact among educational institutions began working to remove the barriers keeping residents from higher education. Another partnership, Tech Columbus, provided support and seed funding for entrepreneurship.

From 2000 to 2017, Columbus added almost 400,000 people to its population and nearly 164,000 new jobs to the region. The region has attracted data centers, a new Intel semiconductor plant and the largest solar manufacturing facility in central Ohio. The city is home to one of the Midwest’s largest venture capital funds and a workforce in which 36 percent have a higher education degree. With rust firmly in its past, Columbus is now working hard to manage the challenges that come with economic success.

Learn more

How did Columbus do it? ICF tells the story in an online profile - one of hundreds on our site that takes you inside technology-centric development of communities that builds inclusive prosperity, strengthens societies and enriches local culture.

Communities accelerate by starting an Intelligent Community Journey. Each is different, but all follow similar paths. Start yours.
 
 

Until the early 20th Century, Dundee had been a flourishing city known for trading, whaling, textiles, food manufacturing and shipbuilding. The rise of global competition, however, led to large-scale plant closures that threw thousands out of work and caused major out-migration, trumpeted by national headlines about a city in terminal decline.

By the 1990s, city leadership had had enough. They formed a partnership of government, universities, business and community groups to chart a path forward. Its first moves were traditional: rebuilding the city center and developing tourist and leisure facilities. Employment kept falling– but there were signs of early growth in new sectors like software, animation, computer games, film and television.

Dundee’s universities were driving it, but the Partnership quickly put its shoulder to the wheel. It attracted investment, launched marketing programs and developed business incubators and accelerators. Attention also went to existing companies, which received training to improve their e-readiness. By 2007, life sciences and digital media were employing nearly 7,000 people and generating hundreds of millions in new revenues.

Learn more

How did Dundee do it? ICF tells the story in an online profile - one of hundreds on our site that take you inside technology-centric development of communities that builds inclusive prosperity, strengthens societies and enriches local culture.

Learn from Dundee and 21 other communities in Develop a Stronger Community, a discount bundle of courses in the Community Accelerator online training program. Dundee is profiled in the course on Engaging the Community in Positive Change. Produced in partnership with Economic Development Australia and the Economic Developers Association of Canada.

Communities accelerate by starting an Intelligent Community Journey. Each is different, but all follow similar paths. Start yours.
 
 

A century ago, Chattanooga was a center of industry and innovation. The Coca Cola Bottling Companies were born there, and the city prospered from growth in heavy industry including metal foundries. But by the 1970s, heavy industry began to shrink dramatically in the face of global competition, leaving the city with high unemployment, an under-skilled workforce and a legacy of polluted air.

Then the electric company owned by the city began investing in fiber optics to improve its own operations. As part of the build-out, it introduced low-cost, high-performance broadband to business and residents. When it launched 1 gig service in 2010, city government responded by creating America’s first Gig City brand as an “open for business” sign for innovators. Meanwhile the city spurred collaboration among the educators and foundations to upskill residents and create a digital workforce and institutions to serve them. By 2017, Chattanooga had become one of the country’s 25 fastest growing cities.

Learn more

How did Chattanooga do it? ICF tells the story in an online profile - one of hundreds on our site that take you inside technology-centric development of communities that builds inclusive prosperity, strengthens societies and enriches local culture. 

Learn from Chattanooga and 21 other communities in Accelerate Your Economic Development, a discount bundle of courses in the Community Accelerator online training program. Danville is profiled in the course on Innovation: Building an Ecosystem for Growth. Produced in partnership with Economic Development Australia and the Economic Developers Association of Canada.

Communities accelerate by starting an Intelligent Community Journey. Each is different, but all follow similar paths. Start yours.