“ NEVER-HEARD OF ” COMMUNITIES ARE BEST BETS FOR SMART CITY AND INTELLIGENT COMMUNITY BEST PRACTICES
John G . Jung
The world contains hundreds of cities that have an international reputation – and millions of “ no-name ” cities known only to the people who live in them and neighboring towns . Question : can these “ no-name ” places act as some of the world ’ s best models of smart and Intelligent communities ? You bet ! Look at the current list of the Smart21 cities and the Top7 Intelligent Communities this year , selected from among hundreds of cities and regions around the world , to get a clue .
Among the world ’ s smartest examples are cities you may never have heard of before such as Whanganui , New Zealand ; Elefsina , Attica , Greece ; and Markham , Ontario , Canada . Each one of these cities offers initiatives , programs and governance examples of best practice that communities around the world can learn from or be inspired to emulate . From the
2022 ICF Smart21 list , you probably have only heard of three cities before : Adelaide , Belfast and Philadelphia . But I bet you have never heard of the rest . You should . But the others also have solutions , ideas and pathways which may lead you to your next innovation .
INSIDE THE SELECT SEVEN Look at last year ’ s Top7 list . They include places such as Binh Duong , Vietnam ; New Taipei City , Taiwan ; Curitiba , Brazil ; Prospect , Australia ; Durham Region , Canada ; Sunshine Coast , Australia ; and Fredericton , Canada . Unless you are a close follower of the Intelligent Community Forum or from the country where these communities are from , they are probably new to you . But let ’ s look at some examples of their incredible smart city innovations and Intelligent Community indicators from these communities .
Binh Duong Smart City - Has an innovation hub and growing number of Techlabs and Fablabs located in schools , universities and vocational colleges that collaborate closely with industrial partners and Binh Duong ’ s Department of Science and Technology .
Curitiba developed transit-related innovations that have been emulated the world over but it also has significant green energy , entrepreneurship , training and smart retail examples for you to explore . Check out its citizen participation strategies too !
Durham Region brings eight communities together in the shadow of Toronto . It has become the Clean Energy Capital of Canada and is the home of both Ontario Power Generation and Ontario Tech University ’ s Clean Energy Research Lab .
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL VOL 16 NO 1 2023 21