A Global Reference in Smart City and Intelligent Community Development

I’ve been to Columbus and Central Ohio several times, and I am always impressed by the region’s dynamic blend of innovation, culture, and Midwest charm. It offers visitors an inviting destination where vibrant and historic neighborhoods, scenic parks, acclaimed museums, and a thriving restaurant scene come together. Whether they wander the riverfront, enjoy the energy of the Short North Arts District, experience the wonders of the Columbus Zoo, or explore the nearby towns, visitors will be impressed by the region’s rich history and welcoming spirit. According to my Ohio friends, they tell me that “in Columbus, the soul of the city lives in its makers, dreamers, and communities that welcome everyone in.”

In the USA, asking that question is not a quick way to make friends. It suggests you’re concerned about the mental stability of the person you’re asking. But for the Intelligent Community Forum, it is the start of a serious inquiry.

In 2024, we began certifying cities, counties and regions as Intelligent Communities, which offers them a unique distinction with a very specific meaning.  This autumn, we will announce the Intelligent Community Certification of three new communities in Europe. 

It means that they have high-quality connectivity, effective workforce development and a well-structured business innovation ecosystem. It certifies that they have meaningful community engagement, digital inclusion and sustainability programs in place. This matrix of support enables them to grow innovative businesses, meet their talent needs and provide inclusive prosperity and a high quality of life to the people who that place their home. 

The ICF VIP Delegation at the Top7 Brightlands-Limburg Conference and Extended Site Visit to Eindhoven included 15 participants and leaders representing the USA, Canada, Taiwan, Spain, and the Netherlands.

The 2026 ICF VIP Delegation visited Taiwan from March 16-20, 2026, engaging in smart city  initiatives, technological showcases, and cultural exchanges across Taipei, Taichung, Yunlin,  and related sites, emphasizing digital transformation, AI applications, and community-driven  innovation. The delegation included 16 international representatives from the USA, Canada, the  Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Brazil, India, and Taiwan; unfortunately, additional members  from Ghana and Turkey were unable to secure visas. Thanks to our partnership with ICF Taiwan,  along with ITRI, ADI, the Taiwan Tourism Administration, and SCSE, the focus of the first day  was on digital transformation and AI applications in local companies in Taipei.  

The towns, cities, and regions of the Smart City and the Intelligent Community Movement



As I stood at each one of the announcements this year of the Intelligent Community Awards program, I thought to myself, “What an extraordinary moment it is to stand at the intersection of innovation, inclusion, and global community-building”.

The past year has shown us, once again, that the Intelligent Community movement is not merely an idea—it is a living, evolving force powered by cities and regions that dare to imagine a better future and work tirelessly to build it.

The year 2025 stands as a testament to what visionary leadership, purposeful innovation, and a commitment to inclusive progress can achieve. Across the Intelligent Community Forum network, communities large and small demonstrated how digital connectivity, talent development, and future‑ready governance can transform local ambition into global leadership.

For the second consecutive year, ICF partnered with the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, the largest annual Smart City conference in the world.

This year, ICF coordinated a VIP Delegation with a curated agenda for the week, bringing together participants from around the world to explore, learn, and contribute to the conversations defining how cities adapt, innovate, and thrive.

Bursa Metropolitan Municipality is the first TOP7 Intelligent Community in Türkiye. Izmir and Konya Metropolitan Municipalities have met ICF’s Smart21 level, but Bursa has successfully leapt forward, and in its first year of applying, has impressed the adjudicators to make it to the 2025 TOP7. I was interested in finding out how this happened and undertook the site visit as this year’s TOP7 auditor to Bursa. I am glad I did. I was thoroughly impressed. Bursa’s leaders are proud that their community was the first capital of the Ottoman Empire and the terminus of the Silk Road. It is a double UNESCO World Heritage community, has had an amazing growth trajectory as an industrial leader, and is seeking to become a world leader in innovation and sustainability through its transition into a digital ecosystem. But they do not dwell on the past nor ignore it. 

What if there was an intelligence test for your community? How would it score? 

An intelligence test is a set of carefully designed questions that measure how well we reason, remember, understand visual information and solve problems. They are used to predict how we will do in school, work and military service and – believe it or not – our odds of living a long and healthy life. But IQ scores offer probabilities, not facts. Of equal or greater importance are all
the beautiful, complex and messy human factors, from personality and creativity to social skills, social class and family history.

The same is true of a community. Smarts matter – but so do the community’s stories about itself. So do its geography, the skills and creativity of its people and conditions far beyond its control. A community IQ test would have to measure all that. But how?

My audit of New Taipei City for its Intelligent Community Certification wrapped up with insight into how cities can get the most out of the digital transformation. We visited the Sanchong Education and Activity Center, one of four locations where people of all ages (but mostly seniors) come to learn how to use digital tech. My takeaway: if you are doing digital inclusion, cover the basics– but change things based on what’s popular. The popularity list at Sanchong starts with podcasting and live streaming, followed (of course) by AI. The Center updates its courses and workshops every year to stay current. That’s how they have trained hundreds of thousands of New Taipei citizens.

I just finished my first day of auditing New Taipei City in Taiwan for renewal of its Intelligent Community Certification. Along the way, we had lunch, as the picture shows. But in between the glasses of iced tea, I picked up noteworthy, new ways that local governments can help their existing and new companies succeed: 

#1 Improving the Odds of Startup Success with Crowdfunding

New Taipei selects startups each year – including indigenous and new residents – to benefit from crowdfunding campaigns. In six years, the city has helped nearly 80 startups each crowdsource an average of US$120,000. The money isn’t really the point. It is to help startups identify their value and road-test their messaging early in their development, based on feedback from the crowd. The city team provides a professional-grade crowdfunding campaign and supplements it with product and target market analysis, media exposure, industry and government connections and access to grants. It’s an imaginative way to support the early development of new companies.