There is a small ray of light in this dark American election season. The Presidential contenders actually agree on something: the need to bring back manufacturing in America. To quote from an editorial by Binyamin Applebaum:

Trump’s keynote proposal is to encourage domestic production by taxing imports — an idea more likely to cause a recession than a manufacturing revival. Clinton is promising to basically extend the efforts of the Obama administration, which said it would create a million factory jobs. With just a few months left, the president is still more than 600,000 jobs short.

Big Data is big business. But what difference does it really make in the cities, suburbs and towns where we make our homes? Does the Big Data future belong entirely to the big tech companies like Google and Facebook? Or are there benefits that matter to the rest of us in the place called home? Robert Bell is a co-founder of the Intelligent Community Forum and co-author of Brain Gain: How Innovative Cities Create Job Growth in an Age of Disruption and he joins Carol Maresca and Corey Johnson to talk about it.

“Internet of Cities” the theme of the New York think-tank’s annual Global Awards Program

Is Robby the Robot casting a covetous eye on your job?  Or on the jobs of your friends, colleagues, citizens and taxpayers?  A 2013 study by an Oxford University researcher forecast that as many as 47% of jobs in the United States were at risk of being automated out of existence in the future.  These are jobs with a lot of routine work in them that do not, on the other hand, require the soft skills of interaction with human beings.  

“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion,” wrote that American political leader and man of letters Daniel Patrick Moynihan, “but not to his own facts.”

I am concerned - and you probably are as well - about the rising political polarization of our time. Whether it is the candidacy of Donald Trump, with its “the truth is whatever I say today” style, or the increasing appeal of right-wing, anti-immigrant, anti-compassion parties to the electorates of Europe. Each side has its truths and seems willing to stick to them, regardless of the inconvenient intrusions of reality.

Ever wonder how an idea is started and how it might lead to something much bigger than you ever thought it could? The birth of the Intelligent Community Forum started through a new idea generated in the 1980’s and early 1990’s through participation in two organizations, the World Trade Centers Association, focused on global trade, and the World Teleport Association, focused on global telecommunications to link opportunities for global trade, international sports and entertainment events and communications.

Speaker Profile

Robert Bell is co-founder of the Intelligent Community Forum, where he heads its research, analysis and content development activities. He develops and leads the Intelligent Community Accelerator and Certification programs, and directs the multi-stage analysis of communities for the annual Intelligent Community Awards program. 

Serving as the content lead for ICF's annual Summit in New York City, Robert is the author of ICF's founding study, Benchmarking the Intelligent Community. He has contributed articles to The Municipal Journal of Telecommunications Policy, IEDC Journal, Telecommunications, Asia-Pacific Satellite and Asian Communications; and has appeared in segments of ABC World News and The Discovery Channel. A frequent keynote speaker and moderator at municipal and telecom industry events, he has also led economic development missions and study tours to cities in Asia and the US.

Programs

Robert developed and leads the Community Accelerator training program, which provides cities and regions with essential education on the Community Accelerator Strategy for economic and community development in the digital age. He also developed and manages the Intelligent Community Certification program, which identifies cities, counties and regions that are investment-ready and prepared to prosper economically, socially and culturally amid the challenges and opportunities of the digital age.

Publications

Robert is the lead author of the ICF books Brain Gain, Broadband Economies: Creating the Community of the 21st Century and Seizing Our Destiny. He is also the lead author of ICF’s series of white papers on Intelligent Community themes and topics. 

Reviews

- "Robert Bell and the Intelligent Community Forum have become a key partner in our Digital Initiative in Walla Walla. Robert presented his “Community Accelerator” Master Class. It was a powerful program for our community. His presentation gave a diverse audience a view of our potential future and helped get everyone on the same page. Robert is a gifted speaker and blends a great combination of relevant information, humor and gravitas. We already have him booked to rejoin the Walla Walla community in our ongoing discussion and quest as an Intelligent Community. Robert rocks!" - David Woolson, President & CEO, Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce

- "Robert Bell was a keynote speaker for the kickoff of a new speakers series for our community. In our efforts to position Waterfront Toronto as a thought leader in this area of our revitalization efforts, having you attend and speak as one of the founders of the Intelligent Community Forum lends a great deal of gravitas to our efforts." - John Campbell, President & CEO, Waterfront Toronto

- "Parkland County has had the great pleasure of working with Robert Bell on our SMART PARKLAND Intelligent Community Project and he has assisted us through the ICF Accelerator Program by mentoring and serving as a keynote presenter at numerous events. As a presenter, Robert is unsurpassed. He has the knowledge, perspective, intuition and communication skills to effectively motivate audiences ranging from ICT industry reps, to municipal councillors, distance learning education providers, Internet Service Providers, small business people, seniors and youth. Robert has a positive 'can do' attitude that translates into successful presentations and relationship building." - Al McCully, Smart Parkland Project Consultant, Parkland County

Hear Robert Speak

Addresses

Growing Your Own: How to generate startups and business innovation without a big-city budget
Workshop at 2025 the Economic Developers Association of Canada annual conference, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, October 7, 2025

Welcome to the Crisis Decade and How Smart is Your City - Really?
Presentations to the ICF 2024 Global Summit, Barcelona, Spain, November 4, 2024

Community Accelerator Workshop Series
Hybrid recorded and live online workshops on innovation, workforce development and sustainability for the Economic Developers Association of Canada, Nov-Dec 2024

How Economic Development Became a Six-Legged Stool
Presentation to the Economic Developers Association of Canada annual conference, Edmonton, AB, Canada, November 1, 2024

Your Intelligent Community Journey
Presentation to ACCESS, inaugural workshop of the Intelligent Community Institute Canada (Atlantic), Fredericton, NB, Canada, October 29, 2024

Do Smart Projects Make Intelligent Communities?
Presentation to "Smart Projects Make Smart Communities" workshop, Dublin Intelligent Community Institute, Dublin, Ohio, USA, October 17, 2024

Getting the Most From Your Network 
Presentation to Broadband Access Ohio member meeting, Columbus, Ohio, USA, August 6, 2024

AI in the Intelligent Community
Presentation to "AI: The Innovation Accelerator," the Top7 conference hosted by New Taipei City, Taiwan, June 19, 2024

Community Accelerator Workshop Series
Hybrid recorded and live online workshops on innovation, workforce development and community engagement for Economic Development Australia, May-June 2024

I Know What a Smart City Is. What the Heck is an Intelligent Community?
Keynote to Spring Workshop of the ICF Dublin Institute, April 24, 2024

How Smart is your City - Really?
Keynote address to the annual conference of the Economic Developers Association of Canada, October 2, 2023 

The Middle of Nowhere is No More
Address to the ICF Summit, New York, NY USA, October 26, 2023

Wizards
Keynote to EDAC 2023 conference, Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada, October 2, 2023

What is an Intelligent Community?
Address to Top7 Conference "Better Together: Building a Strong Region from Diverse Communities," Whitby, Ontario, Canada, June 20, 2023

How Smart is your City - Really?
Keynote address to the Alliance for Innovation's Transforming Local Government 2023, Kansas City, MO, April 20, 2023

Celebrating the Durham Region
Keynote address outlining why the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario was named a Top7 Intelligent Community in 2022. November 29, 2022

ICF Accelerator Webinars
For communities in the Arrowhead Region of northern Minnesota in the Blandin Community Broadband Program, February 16-March 9, 2021

From Connectivity to Community
Webinar for communities participating in the Illinois Broadband Grant Program, December 17, 2020

What's the Cost to a Community of Not Having Broadband? 
Bloomberg Advantage with Carol Massar, September 20, 2020

Moving Beyond Resilience
The Innovator's Journey podcast, Alliance for Innovation, July 2020

From Smart to Intelligent: an ICF Master Class
National Economic Development Council Conference 2019, Adelaide, Australia, October 23-24, 2019

Why Small-to-Midsize Cities are the Next Investment Opportunity
Bloomberg Advantage with Carol Massar, February 21, 2019 . 

Accelerator Workshop for Intelligent Community Developers
Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, August 15, 2018

What Makes a Community Intelligent?  
Top7 Site Visit, Hamilton, ON, Canada, April 5, 2018

Invest a Dime, Get Back a Loonie
Keynote at Columbia Basin Trust Symposium 2017, Kimberly, BC, Canada, October 14, 2017

Creating Rural Community Networks
The Rural Summit, Eindhoven, Netherlands, February 23, 2017

Creating Community Intelligence
Master Class, York Region, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, January 18, 2017

Community Intelligence: The Answer to Revolutionary Times
York Region Broadband & Innovation Summit, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, October 27, 2016

How Community Intelligence Builds Inclusive Prosperity
Metropolitan Information Exchange Annual Exchange, Palm Springs, California, USA, October 25, 2016

Community Intelligence and Economic Success
Les Affaires Smart City Conference, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, October 20, 2016

Big Data for the People
Bloomberg Advantage, Bloomberg Radio, October 16, 2016

Intelligent Communities: Why They Matter to Business
Keynote Discussion, CEO Mid-Market Connection Conference, Philadelphia, PA, September 19, 2016

Why Intelligent Communities Build Better Businesses and Stronger Economies
Keynote Address, Desjardins Lab, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, April 21, 2016

The Broadband Economy of Riverside County
Accelerator Keynote for Riverside County Leadership Retreat, Palm Springs, California, October 13, 2015

"The Revolutionary Community"
Accelerator Master Class, ICF Summit, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 10, 2015

"The Rural Broadband Economy: From Local to Global"
Accelerator Master Class, Oulu, Finland, May 5-6, 2015

"The Broadband Economy of Muskoka"
Accelerator Master Class, Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada, April 30, 2015

"From Smart to Intelligent"
Keynote, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, April 9, 2015

"The Broadband Network Ate My Plan!"
Keynote, Gala Dinner, University of Waterloo Planning Alumni of Toronto, November 13, 2014

"The Broadband Economy of the County of Grey"
Accelerator Master Class, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, November 6-7, 2014

"Building Lethbridge for the Next Generation"
Accelerator Keynote, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, October 14, 2014

"The Broadband Economy of Wanganui"
Accelerator Keynote and Master Class, Wanganui, New Zealand, July 23-24, 2014

"Broadband and the Future of Butte Silver Bow"

Accelerator Master Class, Butte, Montana, USA, July 1, 2014

"The Rural Imperative and the County of Grey"
Accelerator Keynote, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, June 26, 2014

"Why Big, Big Cities Should Start Looking Over Their Big, Big Shoulders"
Keynote speech, Walla Walla Business Summit, Walla Walla, Washington USA, April 11, 2014

"Reinventing Hsinchu City for the Digital Age"
Keynote presentation, Top7 Site Visit, Hsinchu City, Taiwan, March 25, 2014

"Reinventing New Taipei City for the Digital Age"
Keynote presentation, Top7 Site Visit, New Taipei City, Taiwan, March 21, 2014

"Building an Intelligent Community to Create Ontario's 21st Century Advantage"
Keynote presentation, New Blue Edge Inaugural Speaker Series, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, March 7, 2014

"Broadband and the Future of Rural Canada"
Master Class, Parkland County, Alberta, Canada, December 7, 2013

"Making Broadband Pay Off for Walla Walla"
Master Class, Walla Walla, Washington, USA, October 30, 2013

"Making Broadband Pay Off for Rural Louisiana"
Master Classes, Natchitoches, Louisiana, September 26; Lafayette, Louisiana, October 11, 2013

"Columbus: an Intelligent Community"
Keynote presentation, Top7 Reception, Columbus, Ohio, USA, April 2, 2013

"The New Rules of Community Success"
Keynote presentation, Acheson Business Association Spring Breakfast, Parkland County, Alberta, Canada, May 15, 2013

(Bloomberg) -- The Bloomberg Advantage with Carol Massar and Cory Johnson.

Robert Bell Founder Intelligent Community Forum Discussing how much of the chaos we are seeing in our cities, in our country and the world is “future shock", the explosive pace of technology advances that may be interconnecting us more than we can handle.

The small American rural city of Ashland appeared on our Smart21 list for the first time in 2007. Located in the mountains of southern Oregon, Ashland (population 22,000) has a seasonal economy built on forestry and, as home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, on tourism.

Both are seasonal businesses, so Ashland set out in 1997 to diversify its economy by building a metropolitan fiber network. The deployment went well: from 1997 to 2006, it helped add 517 businesses to a town of just over 10,000 postal addresses. New companies sprang up in e-commerce and audio books as well as such esoteric technologies as the handling of unexploded ordinance.

In my last post, I wrote about the ladder of opportunity created by a remarkable high school in Winnipeg – created, not alone, but in collaboration with colleges, universities and with the active support of city government.  Now I want to write about the next rungs that lead from building skills to building companies.