Intelligent Communities pursue tech-centric economic and community development in a new way. They put technology to work for their people and employers – but not only through smart city services that save money and increase convenience. They pursue technology as a foundation for economic growth. They encourage established companies and startups to create new solutions. They partner with educators and business to build the skilled workforce employers need. And they help their citizens through the challenges and changes this brings.
Together, they break through the usual institutional barriers of local government to achieve more: a dynamic, prosperous and inclusive local economy that supports a strong and connected local society and a rich and meaningful local culture. These are the things that, together, make a great place to live, work, build a business or career and create a path for the next generation. Not just for today, but by equipping people, businesses and institutions to adapt to technology innovation that seems to know no limits.
Accelerating your community’s progress
The Community Accelerator Strategy is our unique framework for local government's economic and community development today. It is a strategy for surviving and thriving in an economy where digital dominates and has already transformed everything we do. With explosive advances of AI, the pace of change will skyrocket.
In the pursuit of acceleration, cities and regions work to build communities with the technology, human capital and community support to adapt to change and get the greatest value from it. In the pages of this site, you can meet the six Factors of the Accelerator Strategy, read Intelligent Community Use Cases that detail their transformation, or review the services that ICF provides to communities of all sizes to accelerate their development.
Why does it matter?
Why have more than 200 cities and regions around the world pursued the Accelerator Strategy - whether they learned it from us or contributed lessons that we share with you?
The digital revolution has created vast opportunities and just as many challenges to the place called home. The opportunities are the stuff of daily headlines: AI, of course, but also other software, silicon chips, data center, social media, media streaming and an explostion of online service are still driving transformation worldwide.
The challenges are less visible but more profound. The digital revolution has created an economy in which prosperity and social engagement depend on high-quality broadband. An economy where a good education is the only path to careers that pay decent wages. An economy where the ability to innovate in business and government is the only avenue to growth.
These trends have created immense value and growth - while draining economic opportunity from the lives of millions who never acquired the skills to compete. Among employers, they have created new winners and losers at a pace never seen before. This pace of change has overwhelmed national, state and provincial governments around the world.
But at the community level, digital services make it possible to build dynamic economies, strong societies and affirming cultures – and to pass these assets on to the next generation. Creating the local capacity to make that happen – through leadership training, analytics, certification, events, awards and participation in our network – is the mission of the Intelligent Community Forum.