Intelligent Community Forum announced its list of the Smart21 Communities of the Year – each a model for the development of prosperous local economies and vibrant societies in today’s hyper-competitive broadband economy. The Smart21 is the first stage of the annual Intelligent Community Awards program.
The Smart21 Communities of 2007 came from 12 countries on four continents. They ranged in population from 22,000 to nearly 7 million. As it is pointed out by the IFC, the United States led the list for the first time with five communities, demonstrating new grassroots commitment in a nation that has no formal broadband policy. Canada and the United Kingdom were second with three communities on the list, which reflects those nations’ long-time leadership in the field. Other nations represented on the list included South Korea (world leader in broadband deployment), Japan, China, France, Afghanistan, Australia and, for the first time, the Baltic nation of Estonia.
The Smart21 Communities
- Asia
- Kabul, Afghanistan, 2.500.000
- Hong Kong, China, 6.965.000
- Jai Ding, China, 1.157.381
- Ichikawa, Japan, 466.430
- Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 547.000
- Europe
- Tallinn, Estonia, 401.028
- Issy les Moulineaux, France, 61.800
- Reykjavik, Iceland, 116.000
- Karlskrona, Sweden, 63.000
- Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom, 142.170
- Isle of Man, British Crown Dependency, 74.440
- Sunderland, England, United Kingdom, 283.700
- North America
- Burlington, Ontario, Canada, 173.811
- Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario, Canada, 1.148.785
- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 115.000
- Ashland, Oregon, USA, 22.000
- Bettendorf, Iowa, USA, 31.275
- Corpus Christi, Texas, USA, 270.000
- Loma Linda, California, USA, 22.000
- San Francisco, California, USA, 739.426
- Oceania
- Whittlesea, Victoria, Australia, 132.000
Source
Intelligent Community Forum – The Smart21 Communities of 2007