New report focuses on building the workforce for the 21^st Century economy

(15 December 2016 – New York City) – The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) today released a new research report, Ladders of Opportunity: Growing and Retaining Tomorrow’s Talent. It details how Intelligent Communities create a system and structure that prepares their children and youth for the high demands and entrepreneurial opportunities of tomorrow’s workforce.  The principles of workforce development are illustrated in depth by the strategies and experiences of four Intelligent Communities in North America, Europe and Asia.  

Taiwan’s electronic toll collection system was honored for advancing cutting-edge smart transportation technologies by the Washington, D.C.-headquartered International Road Federation at the 2016 Global Road Achievement Awards Oct. 18 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Developed by Taipei City-based Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co. Ltd., ETC won the Traffic Management and Intelligent Transportation Systems prize, with IRF President and CEO Patrick Sankey describing it as a “pioneering system” that has set a new bar in free-flow toll collection.

When Lu Tsung-yung (盧聰勇) held the first Robot Boxing Competition five years ago, more than 40 of the 62 constructions couldn’t even walk successfully.

“Basically, if you could even make your robot take a step, you won your round,” Lu laughs.

Taipei, Sept. 9 (CNA) A long-delayed Taiwan cinema cultural park- aimed at promoting a revival of the once thriving local film industry -- got off the ground in New Taipei City's Xinzhuang District on Friday.

New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) signed an agreement to build the National Film Institute in the city.

As the first hurricane-force storm sits just off from the Atlantic Ocean’s shores, the American Northeast Summer draws to a close. During its rapid course, I took some hours to look back on the ICF Summit in June, celebrate its highlights and to consider what it means as our movement goes forward into the next Awards cycle, with its conclusion this time on the big stage of New York.

Taipei, Aug. 24 (CNA) New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) said Wednesday that he will strive to promote city-to-city exchanges across the Taiwan Strait because such exchanges will help boost development on both sides.

Chu made the comment after hosting a luncheon in honor of Sha Hailin (沙海林), director of the Chinese Communist Party's Shanghai Municipal Committee United Front Work Department, who was visiting Taiwan at the head of the Shanghai delegation to this year's Taipei-Shanghai Forum.

Chunghwa Telecom Co (CHT, 中華電信), the nation’s biggest telecom operator, yesterday launched its new cloud computing data center in a bid to accelerate the nation’s digital economy and industry transformation.

“We aim to elevate Taiwan to one of the leading data hubs in Asia and attract international businesses, such as over-the-top content providers, as well as boosting the nation’s financial technology development,” chairman Rick Tsai (蔡力行) said at the facility’s opening ceremony in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋).

The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) will present its annual Summit from June 13-17 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The Summit is an international gathering of mayors, chief administrative officers, chief information officers and economic development officers from cities, state and regions around the world. It is a place to find economic development opportunities, strategic partners and technology solutions that help community leaders build prosperous, inclusive and sustainable communities.

Psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik discovered that people have a better memory for incomplete tasks than for complete ones. Not surprisingly, when we finish a project, we file it away. But when it remains “in limbo,” it stays active in our minds. This is how I describe the “inner lives” and the real, on-the-ground activities of Intelligent Communities. While policies are in place, they are on shifting sand. The communities I see and like are a wave of unfinished business and ideas being thrown into places that have been disrupted and were once reeling. It is the right approach, but it is also why netizens in places like Surrey, Canada (@SurreyBC) will post comments that utter a sense of disbelief and skepticism over learning that they have made an international list that ranks them high among cities. Some call it skepticism, others a PR stunt (others worse), although the majority cheer the news because an outsider has recognized their hard work.

The major question Top7 host cities have before I set out to visit them is what I want to know. There is some anxiety on their part because they want to make sure that they do well in Columbus on June 16, but also because they want to show off their cities. There are also several people involved and a lot of coordination and, I’m sure, cost involved with a Top7 Site Visit. So I am sensitive to this and try to be a good guest and not make people feel like the Grand Inquisitor and Inspector General has rolled into town.