The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) named Hudson, Ohio a Top7 Intelligent Community of 2019. The global Top7 list includes communities from the United States, Canada, Australia, and Taiwan. One of these communities will be named the Intelligent Community of the Year at the ICF Summit in June. Hudson has been named a Smart21 Community by ICF for the past two years.
In alphabetical order, the Top 7 Intelligent Communities of 2019 are:
- Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Hudson, Ohio, USA
- Sarnia-Lambton County, Ontario, Canada
- Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
- Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Westerville, Ohio, USA
While big cities like Toronto, Melbourne and New York have appeared on the Top7 list, ICF also looks “under the radar” for cities and counties that use its Method to create economic growth, dynamic societies, and rich cultures far from the famous technology hubs of the world. This year, six of the Top7 Intelligent Communities make their first appearance on the distinguished list: Abbotsford, Chicago, Hudson, Sarnia-Lambton County, Sunshine Coast and Westerville. Taoyuan, where the nation’s major airport and logistics center is located, is making its fourth appearance.
Two of ICF’s founders, John G. Jung and Louis Zacharilla were on hand at Laval University where, following a day-long conference that gathered Intelligent Communities from around the world, they made the announcement before a live audience. In addition to the live announcement in Quebec City, ICF simultaneously has released a video on its official YouTube channel announcing the group. The video can be viewed here.
“This year’s group comes from countries that have been applying the ICF Method and investing in their own technology, business growth and educational expansion systematically for a long time. They may not be as familiar to the world as some of our previous recipients, but in this century, it is becoming obvious that any place can become great once the playing field is leveled. Thanks to digital technology, the size and location of a community matter far less than ever before. People can stay home and thrive. That’s the good news that these seven will carry to New York and around the world,” said ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla.
The ICF Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2019 will be featured throughout the ICF Global Summit in New York City on June 11-13. Representatives from the Top7 will take part in the program’s features – including Economic Development Matchmaking sessions and special Top7 Conversations – and will be honored on the evening of June 12th at a reception.
More about the ICF Intelligent Community Awards Program
Before being selected as a Top7 Intelligent Community, these cities were among those named to ICF’s list of the Smart21 Communities of the Year. The Smart21 were named in October 2018 at a conference in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Candidates are evaluated based on seven criteria that make up the ICF Method, which provides a framework for understanding the factors that determine a community's competitiveness and point to its success in the digital economy. In addition, ICF asks communities to respond to an annual theme. The 2019 theme is Infinite Learning, which explores how communities will adapt so their citizens are not left behind as machine learning continues to advance. Click here for more information on the 2019 theme.
The Intelligent Community Forum Awards Program concludes in New York City on June 13 during the Intelligent Community Forum’s Global Summit conference, when one of the Top7 Intelligent Communities succeeds Espoo, Finland as the new Intelligent Community of the Year. The announcement will be made live at a dinner for delegations from intelligent communities around the world and international media. For more information or to register for the ICF Summit, click here.
