Taichung, Taiwan (pop 2.7 million) has beaten out six other finalists to claim the Intelligent Community Forum’s (ICF) designation as "intelligent community of the year". Robert Bell and Sylvie Albert describe what makes the city an intelligent icon.
"Why did Taichung stand out among its peers? One factor was powerful collaboration on job creation among universities, business and government, with staggering results. The city is home to 17 colleges and universities and to seven major technology parks, just one of which generated 8,000 new jobs," say Bell and Albert, award judges. "Another factor was skill in managing the digital divide."
"Taichung has also transformed a somewhat gritty urban environment — nicknamed the Mechanical Kingdom — into a place known for culture, from food to the arts. Not just a 'nice to have' feature, culture adds to the quality of life that attracts Taiwan’s most innovative individuals and companies."
"Taichung joins a select group of intelligent communities of the year that includes Riverside, California; Stockholm, Sweden; Suwon, South Korea and Eindhoven in the Netherlands," add the authors. "And as one of 119 intelligent communities named by ICF, it assumes the responsibility of providing an economic development model for communities large and small around the globe."
FULL STORY: What makes Taichung the intelligent community of the year? The judges explain
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