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Robert Bell

Robert Bell

Robert Bell is co-founder of the Intelligent Community Forum, where he heads its research and content development activities.

Robert Bell is co-founder of the Intelligent Community Forum, where he heads its research and content development activities. He is the author of ICF's pioneering study, Benchmarking the Intelligent Community, the annual Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year white papers and other research reports issued by the Forum, and of Broadband Economies: Creating the Community of the 21st Century. Mr. Bell has also authored articles in The Municipal Journal of Telecommunications Policy, IEDC Journal, Telecommunications, Asia-Pacific Satellite and Asian Communications; and has appeared in segments of ABC World News and The Discovery Channel. A frequent keynote speaker and moderator at municipal and telecom industry events, he has also led economic development missions and study tours to cities in Asia and the US.

Twitter: @dcommunities

Recent Articles

The Creative Class is Flunking Out. What’s Next?
May 06, 2013 - "The benefits of appealing to the creative class accrue largely to its members - and do little to make anyone else any better off."

The Radical Openness of Columbus, Ohio, USA
April 15, 2013 - What Mayor Coleman's effort seems to have brought about was a culture of radical openness to the world. And we know from our study of Intelligent Communities that such openness has extraordinary value.

For Once, Automation May Be Good News for the Less-Skilled
March 13, 2013 - "The Robot Will See You Now."

Offshoring? That's So 20th Century! Or Is It?
February 25, 2013 - Almost half of really big US firms plan to "reshore" some of their operations.

Whatever Happened to the Giant Sucking Sound?
February 19, 2013 - he Giant Sucking Sound came to stand for two decades of concern about the offshoring and outsourcing of employment from high-cost zones like the US, Canada and Europe to low-cost zones from Mexico and Eastern Europe to China and Vietnam.

Communities at the Center, Communities at the Edge
January 30, 2013 - Something else about the 2013 Top7 stood out. There was a dramatic and instructive spread between what I think of as the Center and the Edge.

Smart or Intelligent? Why Not Be Both?
January 15, 2013 -

Building the ‘Shake ‘n Bake’ City
January 02, 2013 - "These are magnificent visions: soaring above the mundane, challenging precedent and inspiring high ambition. I think they may do some good. But I am really grateful that nobody is investing my money in them."

‘Smart’ or ‘Intelligent’ – Which Should a City Try to Be?
December 27, 2012 - Technology, leverage and a better future.

After the Election, Is Government Still the Problem?
November 12, 2012 - Higher productivity and greater innovation no longer automatically lead to a higher standard of living for most.

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Government Best Practices


Featured White Papers & Reports

Government-to-Government IT Services: What Works and What's Left to Work Out

This Digital Communities white paper highlights discussions with IT officials in four counties that have adopted shared services models. Our aim was to learn about the obstacles these governments have faced when it comes to shared services and what it takes to overcome those roadblocks. We also spoke with several members of the IT industry who have thought long and hard about these issues. The paper offers some best practices for shared government-to-government services, but also points out challenges that government and industry still must overcome before this model gains widespread adoption.


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