What I have described could be anywhere. In fact, you probably even thought I was describing your city, didn’t you? Well, maybe I did!
So what makes this community so smart? If the measure was infrastructure, you probably have a case. However, I would argue that just because a famous technology vendor outfits your city with infrastructure and monitoring equipment that the community on the whole is not as ICF would define it, an “Intelligent Community”. In fact, infrastructure, such as high speed broadband and the mechanisms to use it are only less than 17% of the criteria that ICF uses to evaluate an “Intelligent Community”.
Can this community be converted into a smart or “Intelligent Community”? Of course it can, but the first thing it probably needs to do is to acknowledge that it can’t buy its way into becoming a “smart” community by merely purchasing a famous technology firm’s “smart products” and resting on their marketing arm’s claims that it’s a smart or “intelligent” city. Instead, a process of informing itself holistically of its strengths, areas of weakness, its opportunities and its threats, needs to be undertaken. This audit is a basic requirement to understand its capabilities and determine its gaps. Within this exercise exists a realization of what it would take to build itself into a smart or “Intelligent Community”, as defined by ICF. In fact, as many communities that have gone through this process have remarked, this was the best part of the entire initiative, because never before did the community understand exactly where it stood as a smart community.
After proceeding through ICF’s application form for Smart21 recognition, the community now possessed a unique body of knowledge that secures for the community a perfect starting point from which it can be benchmarked and could be used to compare itself to other intelligent communities that ICF has rated as a Smart21 Intelligent Community; Top 7 Intelligent Community; or an Intelligent Community of the Year. If communities want to rate themselves, ICF is able to develop a report card to compare the city against its peers anywhere in the world.
During the application process phase, the communities learn about collaboration. It is nearly impossible for one organization to answer all of the questions, so collaborating with other organizations is an absolutely wonderful side benefit. Communities often remark how they had benefitted by working with other community organizations through this process. They now have an example of what each other’s organizations are able to do with each other; something that will have a lasting effect even after this process has long passed.
Identifying leadership also comes out of this process. Leaders are sought to learn about the program, become associated with the process and be represented on the application. Existing leaders become involved and new leadership also emerges to become champions of the community through this process. Associated with this leadership is the concept of attitude; intelligent communities have a certain sense of attitude and often reflect the leadership qualities of the community.
As the applicants soon find out, their status as a smart community is now challenged. By only meeting one sixth of the criteria, the city may be quite humbled. But no matter; along with their famous technology provider they are able to further discover their smart city tendencies.
After infrastructure, ICF looks at the city’s ability to create, attract and retain the knowledge workforce to sustain an Intelligent Community. At the end of the 19th century, farming and domestic service were by far the most significant jobs in the USA. However by the beginning of the 21st century these categories now only employ less than 3% of the population and it is fully understood that the future of every community and their prosperity increasingly depends on the new skills of knowledge workers. Knowledge workers or talent, as some may refer to them, is usually measured as being created in universities, colleges and training institutions but also through other training that could take place on the shop floor, in alternate education centers and even in senior’s centers. Attraction of talent from other regions or countries is also of interest as well as programs and initiatives to retain the talent in the community. This includes initiatives to create and sustain jobs.
As the Knight Foundation indicated in its seminal report “Soul of the City”, talent stickiness results in a community through the provision of affordable housing, highly accessible transportation and the quintessential concept of “things to do!” You would be surprised how many cities cringe at truly trying to achieve this latter goal. Talent leaving for other parts of the region and other parts of the world happen all too often and disappoint and evade community leader’s efforts. Programs and initiatives that communities have been able to initiate to successfully keep their local talent in the community are excellent models for others to learn about. Intelligent Communities share the knowledge of these successes and benefit from learning about other communities’ successes.
Usually an Intelligent Community has a university or college within its borders or very near to them if they are part of a metropolitan area. The key is to be able to have access to talent for local Intelligent Community businesses and research capabilities. It is not essential that they be located within the geographic borders, but rather the talent pool should reside within easy commuting distance and be able to influence other aspects of the community from research to business and government decision-making. Education has even been described as a communities’ last mile.
Given the advanced intelligent infrastructure and access to smart talent, the Intelligent Community thrives on innovation and creativity. Communities that demonstrate their ability to nurture innovation and reflect creative enterprises of all kinds are among the most advanced intelligent communities. Key to this is the ecosystem of support and encouragement for innovation in the community. Community incentives promoting innovation and creativity as well as subsidizing locations and venues where special events could be exhibited, help to demonstrate this attribute. Some communities, like Eindhoven, may even practice open innovation as prescribed by Henry Chesborough.
Another Intelligent Community criterion is their ability to share the digital future with all their citizens. Whether they are young or old, Intelligent Communities are highly inclusive of their digital wealth. Often this is demonstrated through free or highly subsidized access to computers, software and related technologies as well as training and support. Special programs for seniors, the young as well as the disenfranchised are often demonstrated in these communities in community centers, senior’s residences, libraries as well as in mobile outreach programs in buses and in storefronts.
Intelligent Communities develop public policies in their economic development strategies, urban planning strategies and even in their municipal bylaws. This often happens through advocacy initiatives and an attitude of seeking long term Intelligent Community sustainability. Sustainability is achieved in Intelligent Communities in terms of meeting both financial as well as green initiatives.
It is also important for communities to actively market and promote their community to the world in order to attract business and investment to their community. Traditional advertising, websites, videos as well as more advanced social media and use of technology and broadband-based strategies is deployed to attract talent and foreign direct investment. Local marketing is deployed to gain local commitment, develop champions and ensure long term sustainability for maintaining the Intelligent Community movement within the community.
Many Intelligent Communities foster their special capabilities in often unique and differentiated ways. Many Intelligent Communities become a model for others and inspire communities around the world with their differentiated qualities. They might have special leadership qualities; are amazing collaborators; have created innovative environments and projects with a wow-factor that has never been witnessed elsewhere or has developed such confidence in the market that attracts risk capital and highly sought after research-intensive organizations, businesses and industries in special market segments.
ICF has many examples of Intelligent Communities that have become unique models inspiring others - from a research-intensive and creative Top 7 Intelligent Community (2012) such as Austin, Texas; to a highly collaborative open innovation focused Intelligent Community of the Year (2011) such as Eindhoven, Holland (also referred to as Brainport); to a broadband intensive and training centric Intelligent Community of the Year (2010) such as Suwon, Korea, among other examples – in fact, over 100 Intelligent Communities.
So how smart are you? If what I described sounds like you, I recommend that you consider filling in an application form to be evaluated by ICF and if you are selected to be an Intelligent Community of the Year, welcome to a unique family of qualified smart and Intelligent Communities that could inspire others around the world to be like you!
So how smart are you? If what I described sounds like you, I recommend that you consider filling in an application form to be evaluated by ICF and if you are selected to be an Intelligent Community of the Year, welcome to a unique family of qualified smart and Intelligent Communities that could inspire others around the world to be like you!
Click here for a nomination form. It’s the smartest move you can do.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): John Jung
Quelle/Source: digital communities/a>, 28.08.2012
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