In this episode of the Intelligence Test, ICF Co-Founder Robert Bell has a conversation with John Jung, Co-Founder, Intelligent Community Forum and Wendy Dupley, Economic Development Advisor, Langley City, BC, Canada.

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. 

Cities in Brazil, Canada, Spain, Türkiye and the USA become finalists for Intelligent Community of the Year Award

(17 June 2025 – New York, NY, USA & Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain) – At a festive, sold-out Awards dinner tonight, the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) named the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2025. The announcement was made at the conclusion of the Top7 Conference hosted by Las Rozas de Madrid – a two-time Smart21 Community in ICF’s Awards program – and its mayor, Jose de la Uz.

The seven cities become finalists in ICF’s annual Awards program. One will succeed 2024 Intelligent Community of the Year Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil in December at the ICF Global Summit (www.icfsummit.com) in Binh Duong Smart City, Vietnam. Curitiba was in attendance in Spain for the program.