(25 October 2018 – New York City and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) – In a live ceremony in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and global online announcement from its New York headquarters, the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) today named the world’s Smart21 Communities of 2019.

Selection of this group of cities and counties begins the eight-month process through which ICF will, in June, name one of them as its 2019 Intelligent Community of the Year. More than semi-finalists for an international award, the Smart21 represent the best models of economic, social and cultural development in the digital age, in the judgment of ICF and its team of independent analysts. Moving beyond the technology focus of the smart city movement, they are on the road from Smart to Intelligent.

For the next phase in the Awards Program, the Smart21 will fill out detailed questionnaires providing more information on their communities. Seven of them will move on to be named as the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2019 on 11 February at Université Laval in Quebec City, Canada. One of the Top7 will then be named the Intelligent Community of the Year on 13 June during an Awards Dinner at the 2019 ICF Global Summit in New York City.

“Every continent has a representative this year, which is great because the ICF Method applies to any place that is moving from tech to becoming a true learning and adaptive community,” said ICF co-founder Louis Zacharilla. “These are places planning for change and long-term success.”

The Smart21 Communities of 2019 include cities and counties from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Kenya, Russia, Taiwan, the United States and Vietnam. The announcement video may be viewed below. The video is available by request as a high-resolution download.

 

The Smart21 Communities of 2019 are:

Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Binh Duong Smart City, Vietnam

Chiayi City, Taiwan

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Curitiba, Parana, Brazil

Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Hudson, Ohio, USA

Issy les Moulineaux, France

Keelung City, Taiwan

Moscow, Russia

Nairobi County, Kenya

Prospect, So Australia, Australia

Rochester, New York, USA

Sarnia-Lambton County, Ontario, Canada

Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Surat, Gujarat, India

Tainan City, Taiwan

Taoyuan City, Taiwan

Westerville, Ohio, USA

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The 2019 Smart21 Communities were named at the conclusion of an ICF Canada event presented by Calix and taking place at the Hamilton City Hall Council Chambers in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. More information about the event can be found at https://www.intelligentcommunity.org/smart21_of_2019_announcement

The Smart21 are selected by ICF based on quantitative and qualitative data submitted to the Forum and developed by independent research, which is evaluated by a group of Analysts led by former Cisco executive and Westchester County (New York) CIO, Dr. Norman Jacknis. The analysis is based on the ICF Method, which provides the conceptual framework for understanding the factors that determine a community's competitiveness in economic, social and cultural terms. The 2019 Awards program also focuses on the annual theme of Infinite Learning.  Faced with the new and infinite ability of machines to learn, human beings can only master this technology leap by committing lifelong learning for the people and organizations in the community, because only that will allow us to adapt to new demands and seize new opportunities. Click here for more information on the 2019 theme.

About the Intelligent Community Forum

The Intelligent Community Forum (www.intelligentcommunity.org), headquartered in New York, is a global movement of 180 cities, metro regions and counties with a think tank at its heart and a mission to make everyone’s “hometown” at great place. ICF studies and promotes the best practices of the world's Intelligent Communities as they adapt to the new demands and seize the opportunities presented by information and communications technology (ICT). To help cities and regions build prosperous economies, solve social problems and enrich local cultures, the Intelligent Community Forum conducts research, hosts events around the globe, publishes books, and produces its high-profile annual international awards program. The Forum sponsors research Institutes in North America dedicated to the study of the movement, and national organizations in Canada and Taiwan, both home to many Intelligent Communities. In 2012 ICF was invited to participate at the Nobel Peace Prize conference in Oslo and in 2014, its model and work was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which, according to the American government, was "aimed at creating a more flexible and responsive system of workforce development to meet the needs of employers looking to fill 21st century jobs.” The Forum’s membership is made up of 180 designated Intelligent Communities worldwide. For more information, go to www.intelligentcommunity.org/icf_membership. For more details on the Intelligent Community Forum’s recent publications and programs, www.intelligentcommunity.org.

 Intelligent Community Forum Contacts

Matthew Owen

Director of Operations

Intelligent Community Forum

Phone: +1 646-291-6166 (x105)

Email: mowen@intelligentcommunity.org

Twitter: @Newcommunities

By Matthew Owen