(27 June 2023 – Stuttgart, Germany) – Three organizations announced a partnership agreement aimed at fostering smart city innovation and collaboration in key territories around the world during a conference last week in Stuttgart, Germany.

The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), the Eindhoven International Project Office (EIPO) and BABLE, the facilitators of Smart Cities in Europe, signed the partnership agreement during the 20 June Between Smart & Green event, hosted by BABLE Smart Cities, The Municipality of Breda and their EU-funded project, GreenQuays.

Communities from Australia, Brazil, Canada, the United States and Vietnam become finalists for Intelligent Community of the Year to be named at the ICF Summit in October

(New York, NY, USA & Durham Region, ON, Canada – June 20, 2023) – In an announcement today at the conclusion of a two-day hybrid live and online conference, the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) named the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2023. The 21st annual Top7 list includes cities and counties from Australia, Brazil, Canada, the United States and Vietnam. One of these seven finalists in the think tank’s annual awards program will be named the Intelligent Community of the Year at the ICF Summit in October. (www.icfsummit.com)

In alphabetical order, the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2023 are:

• Binh Duong Smart City, Vietnam
• Coral Gables, Florida, USA
• Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
• Durham Region, Ontario, Canada
• Greater Geelong, Victoria, Australia
• Hilliard, Ohio, USA
• Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

(June 13, 2023 - New York City) – The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) today published its latest report, Building Success for Your Municipal Network, which outlines a set of principles that lead to successful construction, service adoption and financial viability for municipal broadband networks. Illustrated with case studies that show the principles in action, the report is based on the experience of ICF and the people of Lit Communities, a company that develops networks for municipalities and counties through creative public-private partnerships that share risk and ensure that the needs of the community’s people come first.

(June 1, 2023 – New York City, NY, USA) – The Intelligent Community Forum announced today the certification of two cities half a world apart as Intelligent Communities: Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia and Winnipeg, the capital of the province of Manitoba in Canada.

Meeting ICF’s Certification standard provides objective validation that a community has high-quality connectivity, effective workforce development, a business innovation ecosystem and meaningful community engagement, digital inclusion and sustainability programs in place. These qualities combine to support the growth of innovative businesses, meet their talent needs and provide inclusive prosperity and a high quality of life.

(27 April 2023 – New York City, NY, USA & Durham Region, ON, Canada) – On 19-20 June 2023, the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) and the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario will jointly present the 2023 Top7 Intelligent Communities Conference: Better Together – Building a Strong Region from Diverse Communities. The two-day hybrid conference features live and online events in the Durham Region, culminating in the announcement of the Top7 Communities of 2023.

The Top7 Communities are chosen from among the Smart21 Communities of 2023 to be finalists in the yearly Intelligent Community Awards. In October 2023, one of these seven communities will be named the Intelligent Community of the Year at ICF’s Global Summit. The Durham Region was one of the Top7 Communities of 2022 and is a Smart21 Community again this year.

(March 28, 2023 – New York City, NY, USA) – Two award-winning cities in North America and Asia have received the first Intelligent Community Certifications issued by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), identifying them as investment-ready and prepared to prosper economically, socially and culturally amid the challenges and opportunities of the digital age. Meeting ICF’s Certification standard provides objective validation that a community has high-quality connectivity, effective workforce development, a business innovation ecosystem and meaningful community engagement, digital inclusion and sustainability programs in place. These qualities combine to support the growth of innovative businesses, meet their talent needs and provide a high quality of life.

(March 14, 2023 – New York City, NY, USA & Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, USA) – The Alliance for Innovation (AFI) and the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) announced today a partnership aiming to further advance the innovation potential of local governments in the United States and around the world. Through the partnership, AFI and ICF will exchange content, expertise and communication resources with each other’s networks.

Communities from eight nations over five continents named as semi-finalists in ICF’s annual Intelligent Community of the Year Awards Program

(February 23, 2023 – New York, NY, USA) – At the conclusion of a virtual conference hosted by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) and co-hosted by Economic Development Australia (EDA) and the Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC), ICF today named the world’s Smart21 Communities of 2023.

The selection of the annual Smart21 Communities of the Year marks the semi-finalist phase in ICF’s annual Awards Program. The program will conclude when ICF names the 2023 Intelligent Community of the Year in October at the ICF Summit. One of these 21 communities named today will succeed New Taipei City, the 2022 Intelligent Community of the Year.

(February 21, 2023 – New York City, NY, USA & Sydney, NSW, Australia) – Economic Development Australia (EDA) and the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) announced today a partnership, which will support economic developers and municipal leaders in Australia and in Intelligent Communities around the world.

Through the partnership, EDA and ICF will exchange content, expertise, and communication resources with each other’s professional development and event programs and extend select benefits to each other’s members. On February 22-23, EDA joins ICF and the Economic Developers Association of Canada in hosting “Turning Connectivity into Growth” (www.icfsmart21.com), a two-day online conference that culminates with the announcement of ICF’s Smart21 Communities of 2023.

(February 16, 2023 – New York City) – The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) today launched the world’s first Certification program for cities and regions that validates the community’s digital, workforce development and innovation assets, which form the foundation for investment attraction, job growth and entrepreneurship. It also validates the ability to attract, retain and serve their people through commitments to digital inclusion, community engagement and sustainability. Taken together, these are the critical factors that give communities a competitive advantage as great places to live, work, build a business, start a family and give a path to the next generation.