The Intelligent Community Forum named the world’ s Smart21 Communities of 2018. Selection of this group of cities and counties begins the eight-month process through which ICF will name of them as its 2018 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.
According to ICF Co-Founder Louis Zacharilla:
This year’ s list contains more surprises than we have seen in a long time. Over half of them are Canadian communities that have been working on their programs for years and arrived on the list. We also see Taiwan and Australia continuing to embrace broadband and the ICF Method effectively. While these are diverse places, they all connect this year as places that take the humanization of data seriously. Data has no value unless it is put in the service of a better, more prosperous region, city or town.
The Smart21 Communities of 2018 include cities and counties from Canada, the United States, Taiwan, Australia, Finland and France.
The ICF’ s Smart21 Communities of 2018, in alphabetical order:
- Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Chiayi City, Taiwan
- Espoo, Finland
- Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Hudson, Ohio, USA
- Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
- Issy les Moulineaux, France
- Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
- Kinmen County, Taiwan
- Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
- Olds, Alberta, Canada
- Parkland County, Alberta, Canada
- Pickering, Ontario, Canada
- Sarnia-Lambton County, Ontario, Canada
- St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
- Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
- Tainan City, Taiwan
- Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Western Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- York (Regional Municipality of), Ontario, Canada
The Smart21 are selected by ICF based on quantitative and qualitative data submitted to the Forum. The analysis is based on the six Intelligent Community Indicators, which provide the conceptual framework for understanding the factors that determine a community’s competitiveness in economic, social and cultural terms. The 2018 Awards program focuses on the theme of Humanizing Data, which explores the intersection between big data and open data, and the impacts of a data-driven economy on communities.