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.

(June 12, 2025 – New York City) – The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) is pleased to announce an exclusive VIP Delegation to Vietnam, attending the 2025 ICF Global Summit in Binh Duong Smart City from December 2–4, followed by an extended business mission to Ho Chi Minh City from December 5–7. This experience will spotlight Vietnam’s remarkable journey as a rising global innovation and investment hub under the Summit theme: “Intelligent and Investment Ready: The Economic Transformation of Vietnam.”

Held in Binh Duong Smart City, the 2023 Intelligent Community of the Year, the 2025 Global Summit will convene global thought leaders, policymakers, technology pioneers, and economic developers to explore how digital transformation can drive investment, inclusive growth, and long-term prosperity. The program on December 2 and 3 will feature keynote sessions, workshops, and case studies from ICF’s Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2025. The flagship event of the Summit, the prestigious Intelligent Community of the Year Awards Dinner, takes place on December 3, where ICF will announce the 2025 Intelligent Community of the Year.

(4 June 2025 – New York City, NY, USA & Limburg, The Netherlands) – The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) announced today that the Brightlands-Limburg Region will host the 2026 Top7 Conference and Announcement, the second phase of ICF’s annual Awards Program. The event will bring together thought leaders from the global Intelligent Community movement for workshops, panel discussions, and keynote addresses, and will provide regional and international attendees with the opportunity to tour the Limburg Region, which exemplifies Intelligent Community development.

The conference will also feature the announcement of the Top7 Communities of 2026, finalists in ICF’s annual Intelligent Community Awards Program. The Top7 Communities are seven leading examples of excellence in Intelligent Community development in line with ICF’s Community Accelerator Strategy.

(May 15, 2025 – New York, NY, USA) - The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) is pleased to welcome Dependbuild as its newest member, strengthening a shared commitment to advancing smart and sustainable infrastructure development worldwide.

Based in Atlantic Canada, Dependbuild is a leading provider of automated risk and knowledge management solutions for infrastructure projects, and with this membership brings its expertise to ICF’s global network of over 200 cities and regions across five continents.

(New York City – May 5, 2025) – The Intelligent Community Forum announced today the Full Certification of Coral Gables, Florida, USA, providing objective validation of policies, programs and accomplishments that create inclusive prosperity, a vibrant society and rich local culture. These combine to make this growing suburban city, located west of Miami, a highly desirable location for innovative businesses, institutions and people.

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.

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

(March 6, 2025 – New York, NY, USA & Hamilton, ON, Canada) – At the conclusion of a conference hosted by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), Artefact Social and the Hamilton Technology Centre, ICF today named the world’s Smart21 Communities of 2025. The announcement was made at a special evening event after the Communities in Transition conference in the host city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The selection of the Smart21 Communities of the Year begins the semi-finalist phase in ICF’s annual Awards Program. In June, ICF will announce the Top7 Intelligent Communities as finalists in the Awards program at the Top7 Conference & Announcement in Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain. The program will conclude when ICF names the 2025 Intelligent Community of the Year at the ICF Global Summit in Binh Duong, Vietnam in October. One of these twenty-one communities named today will succeed Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, the 2024 Intelligent Community of the Year.

(New York City – November 18, 2024) – The Intelligent Community Forum announced today the Full Certification of Durham Region, Ontario, Canada as an Intelligent Community with policies, programs and projects that create inclusive prosperity, a vibrant society and rich local culture. These combine to make this region of eight municipalities made up of cities, towns and townships, a highly desirable location for innovative businesses, institutions and people.

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.

The Intelligent Community Forum Names its First Brazilian City for Development Excellence

(November 4, 2024 – New York City, NY, USA & Barcelona, Spain) – For the first time in its 25-year history, the Intelligent Community Forum honored a Brazilian city with its top award today when it named Curitiba as the 2024 Intelligent Community of the Year. Curitiba, located in the state of Paraná, had been previously named a Smart21 Community eight times and to the prestigious list of Top7 four times since 2021. The announcement was made during the annual Intelligent Community Awards Dinner at Can Travi Nou in Barcelona, the culminating event of this year’s ICF Global Summit conference. (www.icfsummit.com) The Intelligent Community Awards Dinner was sponsored by Becamex IDC.

(New York City - October 22, 2024) – The Intelligent Community Forum announced today the Full Certification of Hilliard, Ohio, USA, providing objective validation of policies, programs and accomplishments that create inclusive prosperity, a vibrant society and rich local culture. These combine to make this growing suburban city, located in the Columbus metropolitan region, a highly desirable location for innovative businesses, institutions and people.

Hilliard is the first city in the United States to be Certified as an Intelligent Community. It is also a two-time Top7 Intelligent Community and currently a finalist in the 2024 Intelligent Community Awards.

Communities from Brazil, Canada, Taiwan and the United States become finalists for Intelligent Community of the Year to be named at the ICF Global Summit in November in Barcelona

(New York, NY, USA & New Taipei City, Taiwan – June 19, 2024) – In an announcement today at the end of a live conference in New Taipei City, the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) named the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2024. The 22nd annual Top7 list includes cities and counties from Brazil, Canada, Taiwan and the United States. 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 November. (www.icfsummit.com)

In alphabetical order, the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2024 are:

• Assaí, Paraná, Brazil
• Coral Gables, Florida, USA
• Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
• Durham Region, Ontario, Canada
• Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
• Hilliard, Ohio, USA
• Yunlin County, Taiwan