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Digital Communities
Industry Members
The Road to the Intelligent Community of the Year: On the Way Up
February 13, 2012 By Louis Zacharilla
On my way to the Coral ballroom of the Mid-Pacific conference center, where I would name the new Top Seven last month, my mind was racing. There were seven million details I was trying to process. You know the feeling before a speech or a meeting: a nervous mishmash as you scramble to put on your “game face.”
On the morning of the announcement my internal monologue was a ramble about the new Top Seven. The top thoughts “trending” in my head were, “What would people think about three Canadian communities being on the list?” (Answer: Canadian communities have been pursuing the ICF’s goals in disproportionate numbers over the past decade and have begun to prove themselves in assessments by ICF’s juries.) “How would I best describe the successful development strategy of Austin, Texas?” (Answer: I would say that it led to a surge in regional payrolls, and a 14% boost in graduation rates.) “How would I compare a city with a mere 32,000 people (Stratford) to Taichung, Taiwan, with over two million? (Answer: When it comes to intelligence, size does not matter.) And how would I possibly describe the new, shared cloud-based engineering data bank in Taichung, which has speeded time to market for its small, entrepreneurial companies by significant margins? (Answer: I would just say what I just wrote!) Finally, how would I call out the digital divide programs which are essential to Riverside, California’s remarkable renaissance? (Answer: I would invoke the Sermon on the Mount. We do have an obligation to the least among us and it pays dividends that are often returned to us in ways that we have come to call “social capital.”)
How could I make the success of these seven communities, each of which has delivered truly profound outcomes, as entertaining as possible in a mere 20 minutes onstage? I decided to create a slide with a photograph of a pahu, an traditional Hawaiian drum, and ask the audience to beat their hands on the table as I began the countdown. (It worked and it was fun.)
As I was thinking about these things and nearly running, I had a moment when the buzzing in my head stopped and I confronted what the Irish author James Joyce called an “epiphany.” It was quite unexpected.
Heading toward the escalator to the Mid-Pacific, I made eye contact with an elderly man, who was standing in front of the Maui Clothing Company shop. He was on holiday, and I am guessing was retired. What I noticed was that that he wore a hat identifying him as an American military veteran of the Korean War. I once had mixed feelings about veterans “advertising” their service like this, but I have changed. After all, how else would we know? Hawaii is a paradise, but it is also hallowed ground to people who know the history of the mid-20th Century. One day it became the place where America was forced to enter the war and the history of Asia was forever changed. I knew this, of course. Because I knew it, and probably because I was being moved by the energy of what I was about to do in the Coral room, I walked up to him, shook his hand and thanked him for his service and for his sacrifice. Guess what? He didn’t say a word. He simply nodded as if to wish me a fine day and send me on my way. I took it as “You are welcome, kid.”
I wish I could have brought him into the Coral room to see the Top Seven announcement. As part of the announcement I introduced a slide of the Korean peninsula in the middle of the night. It was taken by satellite and, as I wrote in my May 30 blog, it serves as a stark reminder of why the Top Seven are important for all communities in the broader historical context of community re-energization. The southern half of the Korean peninsula is brightly lit, as the great cities of Seoul and Suwon pulse with energy and economic output; while a mere 20 miles north, the northern part of the Korean peninsula is pitch black. Up there, you know that there is a slide toward a darkness which can engulf us. The choice for communities is clear and it is unremitting. It is the difference between this very real light and the very real dark. This man, this veteran, whose name will remain forever unknown to me, had left his community long ago and, in his way and without any control, influenced an outcome of breathtaking proportion. Today South Korea is free. It is lit and it is moving toward better days. Its estranged brothers and sisters north of the 38th parallel experience nothing but lousy options. As Asia moves rapidly ahead, with communities like Taichung a representation of that energy, and places like Oulu, Finland, once a place few could find on a map completely transformed into a city of the future, the contrasts are becoming more stark. A long night awaits those who stumble and cling to fear. The seven who are on their way to New York to be celebrated are in full stride.
At 13.00 Hawaii time I made my announcement and ICF had seven new champions. My favorite response was from someone who, upon hearing about the new Top Seven said simply, “Wow! What great stories. I didn’t realize that there was this much going on.” A few days later, I saw this video from an actual resident of Riverside, California: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPP8hGx2FXI&feature=youtu.be
We are on the right path and on the way up – up to where the light is. The lights on Broadway are on for the Top Seven. I have that buzzing feeling again: I cannot wait for New York in June!
About the Intelligent Community Forum
The Intelligent Community Forum is a think tank that studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community. Whether in industrialized or developing nations, communities are challenged to create prosperity, stability and cultural meaning in a world where jobs, investment and knowledge increasingly depend on advances in communications. For the 21st Century community, connectivity is a double-edge sword: threatening established ways of life on the one hand, and offering powerful new tools to build prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economies on the other. ICF seeks to share the best practices of the world's Intelligent Communities in adapting to the demands of the Broadband Economy, in order to help communities everywhere find sustainable renewal and growth. More information can be found at www.intelligentcommunity.org.
Robert Bell
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.
John Jung
ICF co-founder John G. Jung originated the Intelligent Community concept and continues to serve as the Forum's leading visionary. Formerly President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance and Calgary Economic Development Authority, he is a registered professional urban planner, urban designer and economic developer. He leads regular international business missions to US, European, Asian, Indian and Australian cities, and originated the ICF Immersion Lab program. John is a regular speaker at universities and conferences and serves as an advisor to regional and national leaders on Intelligent Community development. The author of numerous articles in planning and economic development journals, he has received global and Toronto-based awards for his work in collaboration and strategic development and sits on numerous task forces and international advisory boards.
Louis Zacharilla
ICF co-founder Louis Zacharilla is the creator and presenter of the annual Smart21, Top Seven and Intelligent Community Awards and oversees ICF's media communications and development programs. He is a frequent keynote and motivational speaker and panelist, addressing audiences of tech, academic and community leaders around the world, and writes extensively for publications including American City & County, Continental Airline's in-flight magazine and Municipal World. His frequent appearances in the electronic media have included both television and radio in South Korea, China and Canada. He has served as an adjunct professor at Fordham University in New York and is a Guest Lecturer at Polytechnic University's Distinguished Speaker Series. He holds a Masters Degree from the University of Notre Dame.
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