Two U.S. Locales Named "Intelligent" Communities

Florida's High Tech Corridor and LaGrange, Georgia, have been named two of the world's top seven "intelligent" communities in a recent report by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), a project of the New York-based telecommunication group World Teleport Association.

In The Top Seven Intelligent Communities of 2002, the Corridor is recognized for its work in developing the region's high-tech workforce and as an effective collaboration between academia, the private sector and local and state government. Other ranked communities include Bangladore, India; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Seoul, South Korea; Singapore; and Sunderland, UK.

The ICF's yearly award honors the seven top communities or regions it sees as pioneers or role models for the development of vibrant "Digital Age communities." To be chosen, the communities must meet at least one of the five Intelligent Community Indicators defined by ICF:

• Significant deployment of broadband communications to businesses, government facilities and residences, with government providing a catalyst through regulation, e-government initiatives and even network construction when necessary;
• Effective education, training and workforce development that builds a labor force able to perform "knowledge work";
• Goverment and private sector programs to overcome the Digital Divide and ensure that all sectors of society benefit from the broadband and information revolution;
• Local or regional access to risk capital that can fund the development of new businesses, which are the engine of economic growth; and,
• Effective economic development marketing that leverages the community's broadband, labor and other assets to attract new employers.

The Top Seven Intelligent Communities of 2002 is available at: http://www.intelligentcommunity.org/html/TopSeven.html