Podcasts about intelligent community

Guyana is defined by its dense rainforest. Culturally connected to the Caribbean region, it has become a richer country due to its oil production and GDP per capita. But it has high levels of poverty. Especially in the rural areas. One person with an understanding of connectivity from his years in the satellite and telecommunications industries decided to go back home to tackle this fundamental issue, which is central to ICF's purpose. Born in one of the poorest regions of Guyana, executive Andre L. Jones started WANSAT Networks to provide connectivity and development to the rural areas where he grew up. The story is a great one. Inspiring. How he approached the project is instructive to any rural district seeking to go on a journey toward Intelligent Community status. Andre L. Jones co-founded WANSAT Networks, Inc. to provide connectivity to underserved and unserved areas in his birth country of Guyana. Born in one of the poorest regions of the nation, he witnessed firsthand the challenges that rural communities faced due to their isolation. When oil was discovered in Guyana, for example, the nation experienced rapid economic expansion, but the benefits did not reach many rural areas. Andre turned the years of expertise in the satellite communications industry he had developed as a successful businessman in the United States toward the problem, securing vital partnerships with leading companies operating in the region like Intelsat, Viasat and Telefonica. Through these partnerships, WANSAT was able to deliver connectivity to remote regions unreached by fiber and terrestrial networks, providing those isolated communities with access to essential services and communication options. WANSAT has installed satellite terminals in remote communities throughout Guyana, allowing previously unconnected citizens to access the government's telemedicine program, including remote consultations and general healthcare access. This connection is a lifeline for remote villages, providing timely diagnoses and medical advice that were previously out of reach. WANSAT connectivity also facilitates distance learning, enabling rural students to participate for the first time in programs such as the government's GOAL initiative. Students in remote areas now have access to educational resources and opportunities that were once unimaginable, leveling the playing field and fostering a brighter future for these communities. Guyana's gold mining industry has been another major beneficiary of WANSAT connectivity. Miners, who often face prolonged isolation from their families, now benefit from satellite internet that keeps them connected to their loved ones. This connectivity not only enhances social cohesion, but also improves workplace safety and personal security, mitigating the extreme hardships that come with long separations. To ensure that WANSAT's connectivity offerings continue to benefit communities throughout Guyana, Andre has established training programs to equip local youth and former defense personnel with the knowledge of how to install and maintain satellite systems. He actively collaborated with Guyana's largest telecom provider, GTT (now One Communications), to ensure sustainable development and increased regional participation in the nation's rapid economic growth. For Andre, WANSAT is not simply about technology, but about ensuring that no one is left behind in Guyana's economic transformation.

The New York City's Department of Parks' first Director of Data Analytics who contributed the key ingredients to the success of the city's Million Trees Research Conference and knows her way around urban forests discusses her new venture, Helpful Places, and how digital trust can be imbedded in the organization of community governments.  It's a fascinating conversation with one of the world's most sought-after speakers. Canadian-based Lu, who also discusses what she learned from her work on the highly controversial Sidewalk Labs project in Toronto tells The INTELLIGENT Community audience how it went “sideways” and what she learned Jacqueline advances technology transparency and legibility for people-centered smart(er) cities. She leads Helpful Places, a social impact enterprise advancing the adoption and stewardship of Digital Trust for Places and Routines (DTPR.io), an open-source visual language and nutrition label standard designed to increase transparency and legibility for urban technology. She is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Data Equity, Council for the Connected World and a working group member and contributor to the G20 Smart Cities Alliance. Jacqueline's experience spans public, private and non-profit sectors. As Data Lead at Mozilla Foundation, Jacqueline led the development and implementation of their data strategy. As Director of Digital Integration at Sidewalk Labs, she led incorporating innovation objectives, technology policy and data ethics into the company's approach to urban development projects. As the inaugural Director of Data Analytics at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, she developed the agency's data strategy, developed the open data program and founded its first data science team. Jacqueline also spearheaded the largest participatory street tree mapping project in U.S. history, culminating in the NYC Tree Map, a digital platform for the collaborative management of NYC's urban forest.

The New York City's Department of Parks' first Director of Data Analytics who contributed the key ingredients to the success of the city's Million Trees Research Conference and knows her way around urban forests discusses her new venture, Helpful Places, and how digital trust can be imbedded in the organization of community governments.  It's a fascinating conversation with one of the world's most sought-after speakers. Canadian-based Lu, who also discusses what she learned from her work on the highly controversial Sidewalk Labs project in Toronto tells The INTELLIGENT Community audience how it went “sideways” and what she learned Jacqueline advances technology transparency and legibility for people-centered smart(er) cities. She leads Helpful Places, a social impact enterprise advancing the adoption and stewardship of Digital Trust for Places and Routines (DTPR.io), an open-source visual language and nutrition label standard designed to increase transparency and legibility for urban technology. She is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Data Equity, Council for the Connected World and a working group member and contributor to the G20 Smart Cities Alliance. Jacqueline's experience spans public, private and non-profit sectors. As Data Lead at Mozilla Foundation, Jacqueline led the development and implementation of their data strategy. As Director of Digital Integration at Sidewalk Labs, she led incorporating innovation objectives, technology policy and data ethics into the company's approach to urban development projects. As the inaugural Director of Data Analytics at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, she developed the agency's data strategy, developed the open data program and founded its first data science team. Jacqueline also spearheaded the largest participatory street tree mapping project in U.S. history, culminating in the NYC Tree Map, a digital platform for the collaborative management of NYC's urban forest.

In part one of this conversation, you heard the world's most Intelligent Community of the Year tell you how they have used innovation and planning to evolve into one of the world's elite cities. Today, I want to go deeper to the core of this whole movement and listen as Dario Paixao tells you unequivocally that what is being done in creative can be a model for 398 communities in his state model that will bring democracy closer to people and fulfill a mandate all governments have to listen and to act. Be inspired today on The Intelligent Community.

Curitiba, Brazil. Ever heard of it? Ever been there? Ever seen or read stories about the building of its railroad and its history of innovation? Ever wonder how a city can be sustainable and flourishing? How about Rafael Greca? Ever heard of him? The outgoing Mayor of Curitiba is one of the most amazing people in the intelligent community movement – and a politician who is such an authentic human being – that Pope Francis invited him to the Vatican to discuss Curitiba's remarkable programs for addressing food insecurity. Curitiba has won so many “smart city” awards that its shelves are full. It got the big one in November 2024 in Barcelona, when it was named Intelligent Community of the Year. What's going on there? In this episode, we speak with Dario Paixao, the city's Secretary for Economic Development, Innovation and Artificial Intelligence, in a conversation with a city that has been climbing the smart city & intelligent community mountain for decades. Dario Paixao is the CEO of the Curitiba Agency for Economic Development and Innovation, Curitiba, Brazil. Doctor in Tourism Management (University of Malaga - Spain); Master in International Tourism (Las Palmas University, Canary Islands, Spain); Business Management and Tourism Bachelor (Parana Federal University and Positivo University, Curitiba, Brazil); St. Mary's High School (Vegreville, Alberta, Canada); Business Management Professor (Parana Federal University, Curitiba, Brazil); Business Management Doctorate and MBA Professor (Positivo University, Curitiba, Brazil); Former Director of the Public Management School of Curitiba City Hall; Former President of the Curitiba Convention & Visitors Bureau; Entrepreneur, speaker, and book author about the Future of Work and Employability.

 A nation of 23 million people that punches far above its weight is a subject of study and fascination around the world. Its prowess in semi-conductor technology is just the beginning.  Much of Taiwan's success comes from the way it has designed its cities and the way its culture embraces innovation, ideas from everywhere and implements them in a process that continues to modernize its economy, while maintaining the integrity of its history and its robust democracy.  In this mini-series we try to open the door to Taiwan for you.  We begin with a conversation with the CEO from a company that is based in an Intelligent Community, Arlington County, Virginia.  Arlington County and Taiwan have a strong relationship and in this conversation, Jim Shea, CEO of DeepSig, a software development company that improves the next generation of wireless systems, talks to Lou about doing business in a country where there are 17 Intelligent Communities! Jim Shea is the CEO of DeepSig Inc., a startup that is harnessing the power of AI to radically improve the performance and security of 5G, IoT, and other wireless systems.  He has over 30 years of commercial and defense industrial experience having been involved in two previous startups and experience managing large organizations.  Jim received a BEE from Georgia Tech and an MSEE from The University of Illinois.

In a year when democracies around the world go to the voting polls to select leaders and representatives in nations and local towns and regions, we see much has changed due to an adoption of the “Intelligent Community” idea and through the evolution of technologies like broadband and AI, which have crept into our daily lives.  The COVID Pandemic altered our rhythms and impacted our local economies, especially commercial real estate, healthcare advances and the nature of work.   Can it be very long before we elect a robot for mayor? What is the new normal with AI in our communities?  Are the forces too overwhelming or are we managing? Picking up on ICF's July 2024 webinar “Sharing Public Spaces with Robots” Lou went to the “bullpen” to bring in ICF's Senior Fellow, Dr. Norman Jacknis to ask him what his research and teaching has revealed. Norm, who leads ICF's Analysts also shares his views about this year's Top7 Intelligent Communities, one of which will succeed Binh Duong, Vietnam as Intelligent Community of the Year! Dr. Jacknis has decades of executive and leadership experience in the public and private sectors. He has successfully led organizations to adopt innovations, creatively use technology, and embrace data-driven cultures. Dr. Jacknis is currently Professor of Practice in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program of the business school of Northeastern University. Prior to that, for eight years, he was on the full- time faculty of Columbia University, teaching machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as product design, in its Executive Master's degree program for technology leaders. He is also Senior Fellow of the global Intelligent Community Forum, where he has worked for years with regional/state and local public officials and businesses on the intelligent use of technology to improve quality of life and the built environment. Government Technology Magazine selected him as one of the nation's “Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers who, using technology ... broke bureaucratic inertia to better serve the public”. Under his leadership, Westchester County won numerous awards, including the Center for Digital Government's top ten digital counties in the country, American City & County's Crown Communities Award for technology and was selected as one of the top seven Intelligent Communities in the world. Among many activities beyond his work, he is Chairman Emeritus and former President of the regional chapter of the national association of chief information and technology officers (SIM) as well as Vice Chair of the Westchester County Community College Board Of Trustees. Dr. Jacknis received his Doctorate, Master's and Bachelor's degrees from Princeton University. He also studied for a semester at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda and has graduated from executive courses at Harvard University.

In a year when democracies around the world go to the voting polls to select leaders and representatives in nations and local towns and regions, we see much has changed due to an adoption of the “Intelligent Community” idea and through the evolution of technologies like broadband and AI, which have crept into our daily lives.  The COVID Pandemic altered our rhythms and impacted our local economies, especially commercial real estate, healthcare advances and the nature of work.   Can it be very long before we elect a robot for mayor? What is the new normal with AI in our communities?  Are the forces too overwhelming or are we managing? Picking up on ICF's July 2024 webinar “Sharing Public Spaces with Robots” Lou went to the “bullpen” to bring in ICF's Senior Fellow, Dr. Norman Jacknis to ask him what his research and teaching has revealed. Norm, who leads ICF's Analysts also shares his views about this year's Top7 Intelligent Communities, one of which will succeed Binh Duong, Vietnam as Intelligent Community of the Year! Dr. Jacknis has decades of executive and leadership experience in the public and private sectors. He has successfully led organizations to adopt innovations, creatively use technology, and embrace data-driven cultures. Dr. Jacknis is currently Professor of Practice in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program of the business school of Northeastern University. Prior to that, for eight years, he was on the full- time faculty of Columbia University, teaching machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as product design, in its Executive Master's degree program for technology leaders. He is also Senior Fellow of the global Intelligent Community Forum, where he has worked for years with regional/state and local public officials and businesses on the intelligent use of technology to improve quality of life and the built environment. Government Technology Magazine selected him as one of the nation's “Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers who, using technology ... broke bureaucratic inertia to better serve the public”. Under his leadership, Westchester County won numerous awards, including the Center for Digital Government's top ten digital counties in the country, American City & County's Crown Communities Award for technology and was selected as one of the top seven Intelligent Communities in the world. Among many activities beyond his work, he is Chairman Emeritus and former President of the regional chapter of the national association of chief information and technology officers (SIM) as well as Vice Chair of the Westchester County Community College Board Of Trustees. Dr. Jacknis received his Doctorate, Master's and Bachelor's degrees from Princeton University. He also studied for a semester at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda and has graduated from executive courses at Harvard University.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Ambassador Jarmo Sareva, Finland's Ambassador for Cyber Affairs before being named the country's first Ambassador for Innovation. Sareva was Finland's Ambassador for Cyber Affairs before being named the country's first Ambassador for Innovation.  These two jobs were central to the success of Finland, which is known for its innovation in technology and the development of showcase cities, including ICF's 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year, Espoo. He also served in directorships at the UN's Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Institute for Disarmament Research. His advocacy for Finland as it current Consul General in New York and vision for the world's cities keeps the focus on humanity as the center of the human experience.  He discusses what he calls “frugal innovation” methods to continue to improve social quality of life. 

Sareva was Finland's Ambassador for Cyber Affairs before being named the country's first Ambassador for Innovation.  These two jobs were central to the success of Finland, which is known for its innovation in technology and the development of showcase cities, including ICF's 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year, Espoo. He also served in directorships at the UN's Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Institute for Disarmament Research. His advocacy for Finland as it current Consul General in New York and vision for the world's cities keeps the focus on humanity as the center of the human experience.  He discusses what he calls “frugal innovation” methods to continue to improve social quality of life.  Ambassador Jarmo Sareva is the Consul General of Finland in New York since September 1, 2022. The Consulate General in New York promotes Finland's commercial & cultural interests in the United States, focusing on thirty-five eastern states. It is also responsible for consular services in New York as well as in other states in its jurisdiction. Mr. Sareva brings a wealth of experience to his position from both multilateral and bilateral diplomacy, especially in the field of arms control. Prior to his appointment in New York, Mr. Sareva served in Helsinki as Finland's Ambassador for Cyber Affairs from 2021 to 2022 and Finland's first Ambassador for Innovation from 2018 to 2021. From 2006 to 2018, he served in various positions at the UN in New York and Geneva, including as Director of the Geneva Branch of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and Director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). Mr. Sareva's previous diplomatic experience includes serving as Director for Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in Helsinki and as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Finland to the UN in New York, as well as postings in Moscow, Washington, D.C., and Vienna. Mr. Sareva is passionate about helping Finnish businesses expand to the U.S. market, promoting Finnish culture, and strengthening Finland's country brand in the United States. Mr. Sareva holds an M.A. from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University in Washington. He is married with two children and two grandchildren.

Now that COVID is no longer a global pandemic, what is it? And what is the lesson communities learned over the past 3 years? In this rebroadcast of the interview with Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, who was just featured in TIMES100 Health, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Dr. Jetelina, Director of Population Health Analytics, to learn these answers and more. Dr. Katelyn Jetelina is one of America's most trusted epidemiologists. She publishes Your Local Epidemiologist, a widely read website and newsletter covering a range of public health issues that translates evolving science into readable language for the general public. In this episode of The Intelligent Community, she discusses information integrity and the politics of COVID in places as diverse as New York and Florida. This episode is the second part of ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla's interview with Dr. Jetelina.  Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD is an epidemiologist, data scientist and internationally renowned scientific communicator. She is the Director of Population Health Analytics, a nonprofit, non-partisan health policy think tank. She is also a Senior Scientific Advisor to a number of government and non-profit agencies, including the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Resolve to Save Lives and Make-A-Wish Foundation. On the side, Dr. Jetelina is the publisher of Your Local Epidemiologist – a public health newsletter that “translates” ever-evolving science to the general public, which has reached over 300 million views. Dr. Jetelina has received 3 national awards for her work, including National Academies of Science and a medal of honor from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Emergency Management and Medical Operations, Field Operations, and Response. Katelyn resides in San Diego, California with her husband and two toddlers.

This week marks the start of another global awards campaign at ICF. We begin the search for the successor to the current Intelligent Community of the Year, Binh Duong, Vietnam. Who will it be? We begin by naming theSmart21(see the video) on March 20th.  This year's S21 Awards and Conference will be held in Taipei, Taiwan. Taipei was the 2006 Intelligent Community of the Year and this year hosts the Smart City Expo andThe Smart Cities and Intelligent Communities Forum, produced by the Taiwan government and ICF. What will that event be like? What is Taiwan like and why does it have 15 Intelligent Communities!? We hear directly from Tiffany Lin of ICF Taiwan, who is the Acting Deputy Manager for the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan. In a delightful conversation with Lou, she talks about life in Taiwan, freedom and why the country has embraced the ICF program. 

  In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Amy Rowland, Award-Winning Novelist and Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley.   Amy Rowland's second novel, Inside the Wolf, was published by Algonquin in July 2023. She is also the author of The Transcriptionist (Algonquin 2014), which received the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Amy is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from the National Endowment for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, the Norman Mailer Center, and the Sewanee Writers Conference. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in The New York Times, The Southern Review, The Iowa Review, Lit Hub, New Letters and elsewhere. Amy is a former editor at The New York Times Book Review and she teaches at UC Berkeley.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Amy Rowland, Award-Winning Novelist and Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley.   Amy Rowland's second novel, Inside the Wolf, was published by Algonquin in July 2023. She is also the author of The Transcriptionist (Algonquin 2014), which received the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Amy is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from the National Endowment for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, the Norman Mailer Center, and the Sewanee Writers Conference. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in The New York Times, The Southern Review, The Iowa Review, Lit Hub, New Letters and elsewhere. Amy is a former editor at The New York Times Book Review and she teaches at UC Berkeley.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks further with Karl Grossman, Journalist, Host of the Enviro Close-Up TV program and Professor of Journalism at SUNY at Old Westbury. They continue their discussion on the changing landscape of journalism, particularly at the local level. Karl Grossman has specialized in doing investigative reporting in a variety of media for more than 50 years. He teaches as well as practices journalism. He is a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York Old Westbury, where his courses include Investigative Reporting and also Environmental Journalism. He began teaching at SUNY Old Westbury in 1978. For over 32 years, he has hosted the nationally aired TV program Enviro Close-Up with Karl Grossman syndicated by Free Speech TV and broadcast in 40 states. He is the author of seven books, including Cover Up: What You Are Not Supposed to Know About Nuclear Power, Power Crazy, The Wrong Stuff: The Space Program's Nuclear Threat to Our Planet and Weapons in Space. He is active in doing investigative reporting on the Internet, writing regularly on CounterPunch, NationofChange and OpEd News. And he writes for the local press on Long Island. His weekly column appears in newspapers on Long Island including The Southampton Press, The East Hampton Press, The Shelter Island Reporter, The Sag Harbor Express, Community Journal, the South Shore Press and on Long Island news websites including Smithtown Matters. Honors he has received for journalism include the George Polk, Generoso Pope, James Aronson, Leo Goodman and John Peter Zenger Awards. His articles have also appeared in publications including The New York Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, The Baltimore Sun, Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Progressive, The Orlando Sentinel, Village Voice, Common Cause Magazine, In These Times, The Montreal Mirror, The Boston Phoenix, Space News, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Columbia Journalism Review, The Globe and Mail and The Miami Herald.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Karl Grossman, Journalist, Host of the Enviro Close-Up TV program and Professor of Journalism at SUNY at Old Westbury. They discuss the changing landscape of journalism, particularly at the local level, and what may be in store for news reporting in the future.   Karl Grossman has specialized in doing investigative reporting in a variety of media for more than 50 years. He teaches as well as practices journalism. He is a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York Old Westbury, where his courses include Investigative Reporting and also Environmental Journalism. He began teaching at SUNY Old Westbury in 1978. For over 32 years, he has hosted the nationally aired TV program Enviro Close-Up with Karl Grossman syndicated by Free Speech TV and broadcast in 40 states. He is the author of seven books, including Cover Up: What You Are Not Supposed to Know About Nuclear Power, Power Crazy, The Wrong Stuff: The Space Program's Nuclear Threat to Our Planet and Weapons in Space. He is active in doing investigative reporting on the Internet, writing regularly on CounterPunch, NationofChange and OpEd News. And he writes for the local press on Long Island. His weekly column appears in newspapers on Long Island including The Southampton Press, The East Hampton Press, The Shelter Island Reporter, The Sag Harbor Express, Community Journal, the South Shore Press and on Long Island news websites including Smithtown Matters. Honors he has received for journalism include the George Polk, Generoso Pope, James Aronson, Leo Goodman and John Peter Zenger Awards. His articles have also appeared in publications including The New York Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, The Baltimore Sun, Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Progressive, The Orlando Sentinel, Village Voice, Common Cause Magazine, In These Times, The Montreal Mirror, The Boston Phoenix, Space News, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Columbia Journalism Review, The Globe and Mail and The Miami Herald.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks further with José Roberto Lagunes Trejo, Research and Strategy Lead at Mexico City's Fundación Hogares. They discuss trust and how a social index the Fundación has created is helping repair the social fabric in Mexican communities.   José Roberto Lagunes Trejo is an architect and urban designer from Veracruz, Mexico, who works on the intersection between urban design practice and community development. Since 2018, he has worked in Fundación Hogares, a non-profit organization based in Mexico City that promotes participation in social housing territories. Their projects strive for building capacity in communities so that citizens become agents in co-designing strategies for the transformation of their environment. Aside from his work within the foundation, José Roberto teaches Architectural Design and Urban Sociology at Anahuac University Mexico and is an experienced speaker at national and international conferences. He participated in the Urban Future Young Leaders programme in 2022, in Helsingborg, Sweden, and is one of the founding members of the Young Leaders Academy, a value-driven education and consulting collective created for the next generation of change-makers that hosted its first educational programme this June in Stuttgart, Germany. He considers himself a life enthusiast and is interested in reducing inequalities through his work towards a more sustainable future for all.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with José Roberto Lagunes Trejo, Research and Strategy Lead at Mexico City's Fundación Hogares. They discuss the method used by José Roberto's organization to reinvigorate rundown neighborhoods and build trust among citizens in places where mistrust and fear have become embedded.   José Roberto Lagunes Trejo is an architect and urban designer from Veracruz, Mexico, who works on the intersection between urban design practice and community development. Since 2018, he has worked in Fundación Hogares, a non-profit organization based in Mexico City that promotes participation in social housing territories. Their projects strive for building capacity in communities so that citizens become agents in co-designing strategies for the transformation of their environment. Aside from his work within the foundation, José Roberto teaches Architectural Design and Urban Sociology at Anahuac University Mexico and is an experienced speaker at national and international conferences. He participated in the Urban Future Young Leaders programme in 2022, in Helsingborg, Sweden, and is one of the founding members of the Young Leaders Academy, a value-driven education and consulting collective created for the next generation of change-makers that hosted its first educational programme this June in Stuttgart, Germany. He considers himself a life enthusiast and is interested in reducing inequalities through his work towards a more sustainable future for all.

When you watch ICF's videos on Youtube, what you see publicly are representatives from a city celebrating when their city is named Intelligent Community of the Year. Sometimes, as in the case of the mayor of Espoo, Finland, you see tears of joy. Sometimes, you see Eindhoven representatives from The Netherlands donning red shirts in celebration or Columbus representatives from Ohio storming the stage behind their mayor like a football club. What you do not see is the incredibly hard work done by a group of people from around the world to analyze the information from these cities, assess it and judge them for you, the world's media and other aspiring places. They are the ICF Analysts and Jurors, the heart and soul – and the brains – of the ICF Awards program. In Part 2 of this podcast series, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks further with 6 of them to collect their memories, thoughts and advice for cities around the world as ICF heads toward naming a successor to New Taipei City as the 2023 Intelligent Community of the Year next week. You'll hear from: Moez Chaabouni, Managing Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at Summit Technologies LLC and Chair of the ICF Jury Bill Coleman, Owner of Community Technology Advisors Professor Shirley Fenton, Research Associate, CSG at the University of Waterloo, VP of the National Institutes of Health Informatics and Co-Founder of Waterloo MedTech Dr. Jay Edwin Gillette, Professor Emeritus of Information and Communication Sciences and Senior Research Fellow at Ball State University's Center for Information and Communication Sciences Dr. Norman Jacknis, Professor of Practice, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Northeastern University and ICF Senior Fellow Gordon Kennedy, Director at Clearbluewater 2.0 Ltd.

When you watch ICF's videos on Youtube, what you see publicly are representatives from a city celebrating when their city is named Intelligent Community of the Year. Sometimes, as in the case of the mayor of Espoo, Finland, you see tears of joy. Sometimes, you see Eindhoven, The Netherlands representatives donning red shirts in celebration or Columbus, Ohio representatives storming the stage behind their mayor like a football club. What you do not see is the incredibly hard work done by a group of people from around the world to analyze the information from these cities, assess it and judge them for you, the world's media and other aspiring places. They are the ICF Analysts and Jurors, the heart and soul – and the brains – of the ICF Awards program. In this podcast, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with some of them to collect their memories, thoughts and advice for cities around the world as ICF heads toward naming a successor to New Taipei City as the 2023 Intelligent Community of the Year this October. You'll hear from: Moez Chaabouni, Managing Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at Summit Technologies LLC and Chair of the ICF Jury Bill Coleman, Owner of Community Technology Advisors Professor Shirley Fenton, Research Associate, CSG at the University of Waterloo, VP of the National Institutes of Health Informatics and Co-Founder of Waterloo MedTech Dr. Jay Edwin Gillette, Professor Emeritus of Information and Communication Sciences and Senior Research Fellow at Ball State University's Center for Information and Communication Sciences Dr. Norman Jacknis, Professor of Practice, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Northeastern University and ICF Senior Fellow Gordon Kennedy, Director at Clearbluewater 2.0 Ltd. has context menuComposeParagraph

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Idoia Postigo, Director General at Bilbao Metropoli-30. Idoia shares the story of how Bilbao recovered from industrial decline and revitalized itself into a city that won the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize in 2010. Since the inception of the Association for the Revitalization of Metropolitan Bilbao (Bilbao Metropoli-30) in 1991, Idoia Postigo has been responsible for promoting and disseminating the revitalization plan and implementing its strategic actions. Making use of her 30 years of international experience in urban planning strategies, Idoia's work has positioned the Association at the center of the metropolis' urban development and an influencer of all the main actors responsible for it, especially public institutions and citizens. Idoia's influence spans widely, as an active member of many local boards, societies and networks, including the Advisory Council of the Urban Agenda at Euskadi-Bultzatu 2050, the Bilbao-Bizkaia Action Group, and the Bilbao Port Community UNIPORT. She is also a published author, graduate in political sciences, international relations, psychology and organizational behaviour and – seeing interpersonal relationships as fundamental in her field – a teacher in training modules for Emotional Intelligence, Social Skills, Team Management and Motivation.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Craig Taylor, best-selling author of Londoners and, most recently, New Yorkers: A City and its People in Our Time. To tell the story of New York City post-9/11 and COVID, Craig lived in New York City for over 5 years and immersed himself in the city's extraordinary soup. New Yorkers is a series of interviews with 200 people from every class, race and corner of the city. Craig came away amazed at The Big Apple and says, "A New York life well lived is an accomplishment like no other."   Craig Taylor is a Canadian-born author of four books: New Yorkers, Londoners, One Million Tiny Plays About Britain and Return to Akenfield. He has written multiple reviews for the New York Times Book Review and also serves as an editor for Five Dials, a magazine published by Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Books. Five Dials features new fiction, poetry, illustrations, reportage, long interviews, very short interviews, dispatches from London and abroad, ads, ads that don't look like ads, and archival work culled from the Hamish Hamilton backlist and, sometimes, the deep Penguin archives. You can learn more about Craig and his work at https://craigdtaylor.com.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Krista Nightengale, Executive Director at the Better Block Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to showing communities how to build a more walkable, bikeable, liveable neighborhood to improve quality of life and attract talent. Krista Nightengale is the Executive Director of the Better Block Foundation. She began her career at the city magazine in Dallas where she served as Managing Editor, Executive Director of a leadership group aimed at empowering citizens to take action, and Executive Director of a literacy nonprofit that united the city in reading together. She then served as Chief of Staff of the Coalition for a New Dallas, an advocacy organization aimed at reconnecting neighborhoods. Krista then helped launch Dallas Innovates, a news site that promotes Dallas-Fort Worth as a hub of innovation. While covering the city, Krista became intrigued by the built environment. She joined the Better Block Foundation to help with its growth, spread its story, and make the world a little better by showing communities how wonderful walkable/bikeable districts are. So far, she has worked with 75 cities around the world. Krista was named to the Dallas Business Journal's 40 Under 40 2022, is an AIA Dallas and TxA Honorary Member, a graduate of 2016 Leadership Texas and was a core team member working with United Way on #GivingTuesday. She writes pieces for various outlets including D Magazine, the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Innovates, and others. She is appointed to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan Committee for Dallas, is a steering committee member for Big D Reads 2022, board member of Philanthropy Kids, past president of the Dallas Center for Architecture, former AIA board member, City Lab High School Foundation board member, a member of the Communities Foundation of Texas Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy, a former TEDxSMU steering committee member, former Dallas Police Department Community Advisory Board, former executive board member of the New Leaders Council, and former member of the Dallas Commission on Homelessness. She often appears as a panelist or moderator discussing urban design, politics, housing issues, and activism. She was named to DCEO's 500 in 2022 and 2023.

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina is one of America's most trusted epidemiologists. She publishes Your Local Epidemiologist, a widely read website and newsletter covering a range of public health issues that translates evolving science into readable language for the general public. In this episode of The Intelligent Community, she discusses information integrity and the politics of COVID in places as diverse as New York and Florida.   Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD is an epidemiologist, data scientist and internationally renowned scientific communicator. She is the Director of Population Health Analytics, a nonprofit, non-partisan health policy think tank. She is also a Senior Scientific Advisor to a number of government and non-profit agencies, including the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Resolve to Save Lives and Make-A-Wish Foundation. On the side, Dr. Jetelina is the publisher of Your Local Epidemiologist – a public health newsletter that “translates” ever-evolving science to the general public, which has reached over 300 million views. Dr. Jetelina has received 3 national awards for her work, including National Academies of Science and a medal of honor from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Emergency Management and Medical Operations, Field Operations, and Response. Katelyn resides in San Diego, California with her husband and two toddlers.

Now that COVID is no longer a global pandemic, what is it? And what is the lesson communities learned over the past 3 years? In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, Director of Population Health Analytics, to learn these answers and more.   Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD is an epidemiologist, data scientist and internationally renowned scientific communicator. She is the Director of Population Health Analytics, a nonprofit, non-partisan health policy think tank. She is also a Senior Scientific Advisor to a number of government and non-profit agencies, including the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Resolve to Save Lives and Make-A-Wish Foundation. On the side, Dr. Jetelina is the publisher of Your Local Epidemiologist – a public health newsletter that “translates” ever-evolving science to the general public, which has reached over 300 million views. Dr. Jetelina has received 3 national awards for her work, including National Academies of Science and a medal of honor from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Emergency Management and Medical Operations, Field Operations, and Response. Katelyn resides in San Diego, California with her husband and two toddlers.

In this special edition of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla is joined by ICF Co-Founder John G. Jung, to discuss Jung's book "Black Rock."   Black Rock is available now and can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Rock-John-G-Jung-ebook/dp/B0B75GJMKY   Part 2 of 2.

In this special edition of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla is joined by ICF Co-Founder John G. Jung, to discuss Jung's book "Black Rock." Black Rock is available now and can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Rock-John-G-Jung-ebook/dp/B0B75GJMKY Part 1 of 2.

Space really is the final frontier. Since Star Trek first crossed TV screens in 1966, we have believed that humanity's destiny lies among the stars. And in the third decade of the third millennium, we are closer to that dream than ever before. Today, after decades of imagining the future, enterprising companies in partnership with governments are putting into place the practical foundations and critical components of a thriving space economy reaching from LEO to cislunar space. This podcast series will bring you the voices of some of these amazing partners on the journey to the final frontier. The fourth episode features a conversation with Melissa Thorpe, MSc, Head of Spaceport Cornwall and Kevin Tipton, Senior Director, Aerospace and Aviation at the Greater Houston Partnership. Melissa Thorpe oversees the entire Spaceport Cornwall project, guiding the team to a successful satellite launch in 2022 from Cornwall Airport Newquay. Together with launch partner, Virgin Orbit, this ambitious project will offer dedicated and responsible access to space. She works across the launch environment to efficiently secure investment, regulations and the infrastructure required to launch, whilst communicating the space story to the local community. She has featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC World News and The Independent. Kevin Tipton joined the Greater Houston Partnership (the Partnership) Economic Development Division in March 2022 as the Sr. Director, Aerospace and Aviation. The Partnership serves a 12-county region that includes NASA's Johnson Space Center, two award-winning international airports, a world-class urban Spaceport, 35 plus municipal airports, and approximately 500 aerospace and aviation-related organizations. He manages the organization's domestic and international economic development efforts in the aerospace and aviation industry. He assists companies considering expanding, relocating, or investing in the greater Houston region.

What do Intelligent Communities know that others do not? Intelligent Communities like Espoo (Finland), Dublin (Ohio, USA), Eindhoven (The Netherlands), Tallinn (Estonia) and the current Intelligent Community of the Year, Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) are no longer just “smart cities.” They have gone at least one level higher. In our Moment of Truth podcast series, we ask them when they realized that they had gone from “smart city” to Intelligent Community, and what exactly it means to them. We also ask how they managed to get there.

Economic developers from municipalities and counties discuss the changing nature of investment attraction, business stimulation and support, and the collaboration with other agencies and sectors needed to develop the economy of an Intelligent Community in a world being restructured by digital technologies. Speakers include: Jason Bechtold, Assistant City Manager, City of Westerville, Ohio, USA Joost Helms, Co-Director, Binh Doung Smart City Office; Director, Eindhoven International Projects Office Dayna Spiring, President and CEO, Economic Development Winnipeg Jim Stifler, Chief Economic Officer, Hudson, Ohio, USA John Jung, Co-Founder, Intelligent Community Forum (Moderator)

Winnipeg is the capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba, located in the center of the North American continent. Winnipeg's economy is dominated by agriculture, energy, manufacturing and a growing tech scene. Over the past decade, the city has built a new economic foundation by connecting industry, education and a rising technology sector. Winnipeg's digital transformation began when local business leaders, frustrated by poor broadband service, established the Manitoba Internet Exchange to attract internet service providers and reduce their operating costs. Today, it has seen major investments in greater connectivity by private sector companies including a $400 million investment by Bell MTS for all-fiber connections across Winnipeg. Strong collaborations with universities, community colleges and major employers have created everything from large fabrication labs to digital equipment upgrades and micro-credential workshops that generate new products, new companies, and new jobs. Innovation centers conduct joint research and development projects with global impact across major industries from agriculture and life sciences to transportation and distribution. Digital inclusion begins with the public library system and continues through valuable community programs that use digital technology to provide economic opportunities for Indigenous communities and foster greater understanding. Balancing tradition and ambition, Winnipeg keeps building a high-potential future for its people.

Lou Zacharilla helped found the Intelligent Community movement and has several achievements under his belt. He comes with a strong marketing background, having run the award-winning “all you can be” campaign for the US Army. He has co-authored a number of books including Brain Gain and Broadband Economies: Building the Community for the 21st Century and Seizing Our Destiny. Lou is also a member of the board of directors of the METRO New York Library Council. And yet that's just the brief of his career and achievements. So, tune in to this episode, where our guest, Lou shares his journey, talks about his community, and explains the whole concept of Intelligent Community Forum. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tbcy/support

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Dublin, Ohio CIO Doug McCollough about how social media can be used not only to communicate with citizens, but to measure sentiment and learn about current demeanor in your communities.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Professor Jennifer Sherman of Washington State University about rural inequality, what the American Dream now looks like, social interactions and how they've changed over the past 18 months, and more.  Professor Sherman's research looks at the interactions of economic conditions, cultural norms, gender, and family outcomes, particularly in rural areas. She has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

In this special edition of The Intelligent Community, co-founder John Jung reflects on his time meeting Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

In this series with mayors, police chiefs and other leading thinkers on the topic of policing and collaborative leadership, we ask how Intelligent Communities are responding to the issue and what advantages and best practices they might offer others. We continue our series with a discussion with two representatives from Surrey, BC, Canada: Terry Waterhouse, General Manager of Public Safety and Sean Simpson, Director of Information Technology. For more information on Surrey, click here: https://www.intelligentcommunity.org/surrey_british_columbia

Innovation.  It's a popular, misunderstood and kind of squishy term that nonetheless plays a big role in today's world.  A Google search on it will earn you 1.65 billion hits.  There's a reason for that.  Economist Robert Solow won the Nobel Prize more than 30 years ago for proving, for the first time, that 80% of all growth in the economy comes from the introduction or use of new technology. So, if you are engaged in creating or putting to use a new way of doing things, you have a shot at your share of 80% of growth.  If you are devoted to doing the same old things, you can hope for a share of the 20%.  Which would you rather have?

Tiit Terik has been Chairman of the Tallinn City Council since 2019, having first been elected to the Council in 2009. Previously a member of the Estonian Parliament and a City District Governor of two legislative districts, he serves as Chairman of the Board of the Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities, Vice President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, and is a member of the European Committee of the Regions.

In this video, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla discusses COVID-19 with Dublin, Ohio CIO Doug McCollough. Doug is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the City of Dublin, Ohio, where he leads initiatives in IT Innovation, Digital Experience, Smart City, Broadband, Intelligent Communities, and Blockchain. Dublin, Ohio has a growing reputation as a haven for technology oriented businesses interested in the collaboration opportunities between Smart Cities and the Private Sector. The City is innovating in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Broadband, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, Smart Mobility, Intelligent Transportation Systems, IoT, UAVs, and Automation. Through the Global Institute for the Study of the Intelligent Community and the Intelligent Communities Forum, Dublin reaches out to communities throughout the State of Ohio in an effort to establish the first Intelligent State with the Intelligent Communities Forum. The City partners with the 33 Innovation Corridor Council of Governments in the establishment of the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor for the testing of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. Doug supports the Smart Columbus project (SMRT CBUS) through sitting on the Data Policy Workgroup of the Smart Columbus Operating System (SCOS). Is is a member of the National Advisory Board of Tech Corps, and the Advisory Board of Per Scholas Columbus. As a motivated advocate for extending the opportunities of the IT industry to the widest possible community of talent, Doug has spoken on the priorities of diversity, inclusion, workforce development, and opportunity with Columbus Women In Technology, and is Chair of the Planning Committee for the 2018 CIO Tomorrow Conference. He was honored with a C-Suite Award in 2017, and has spoken on numerous technical topics in Colorado, California, New York, Toronto, and Ohio.

In this episode I have a fascinating chat with Charlie Hamer, the CoFounder of Public Sector Network. Charlie tells us about his background in computer science, environment and events, and how he ended up starting the Public Sector Nector community platform. He has a passion for technology and the environment, and for facilitating connections so he tells us about why he started PSN and the reasons they expanded from Australia to the US, Canada, New Zealand and soon the UK as well. Charlie tells us what sparked his interest in the Smart Community space, and we discuss what the terms Smart City and Intelligent Community mean, as well as how the movement has been maturing over the last few years. We cover how Charlie sees Australia embracing Smart concepts, and what he's seen in Canada as a result of the Smart City Challenge that was run by the Canadian government there. We discuss how to balance funding and marketing with the real substance of Smart Community projects, and the importance and power of sharing real stories and giving a voice to smaller, regional projects. We finish our chat discussing the emerging trends of privacy, data security and the waning trust in government, which is even more relevant now than when we recorded this a few months ago.Charlie's episode was the last in my bank of interviews recorded before the pandemic began really impacting the world, so in the weeks to come, we'll start sharing a mix of quote unquote “normal” episodes where I ask guests all the usual questions, the audios from some of the previous guest Covid-19 update interviews I've been doing on YouTube - By the way, remember to head on over to our YouTube channel to catch up with what previous guests like Ryan McManus, Debbie Reynolds, Sally Illingworth, Jonathan Reichental, Rachel Smith and more have been getting up to in the last few months. And of course like Charlie and I discussed in this episode, if you have a real story to share about a Smart Community project that's making a difference, particularly if it's a smaller project or from a regional or rural area, I'd love to hear from you. Get in touch at hello@mysmart.community As always, we hope you've enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we've enjoyed making it.Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.communityConnect with Charlie on LinkedIn or at charlie@publicsectornetwork.coConnect with me via email: hello@mysmart.communityConnect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn or Twitter and watch on YouTubeThe Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla speaks with Hunter Newby of Newby Ventures and Chris Moon, Managing Director, Technology and Telecom Banking, for ING about  financing a Smart City Neutral Network.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla discusses Eindhoven and The Smartest Neighborhood in the World with Peter Portheine of the Eindhoven International Project Office (EIPO).

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla discusses Binh Duong Vietnam with Peter Portheine of the Eindhoven International Project Office (EIPO).

The City of Dublin, Ohio, USA, is a city of 50,000 residents. Under the leadership of its Chief Information Officer, Doug McCollough it has been one of the first to launch a publicly owned fibre optic networks and also a digital identity project built on the blockchain. Join us in this exciting podcast to hear how Doug is ensuring that the City of Dublin not only doesn’t get disrupted but is also at the vanguard of innovation. Dublin is a small city, really a suburb on the northwest corner of Columbus, Ohio. Dough really loves municipalities and is into smart cities, smart mobility, blockchain and all kinds of emerging technology and how they can help public sector organisations.   What is blockchain? Blockchain is a technology, infrastructure or innovation that combines existing technologies like databases, peer to peer networks, encryption, distributed computing algorithms, to form a different way of distributing compute, data storage and data security. In its most basic form, it works by recording pieces of data into blocks that exist with a chain. The chain becomes more resilient every time new blocks are added to it. For Doug the most important thing to him is that as an infrastructure it is superior to other databases, networks, or distributed computing models. Especially for data transactions. It tracks what happened, when, where and with whom.     City of Dublin, Ohio, USA The City of Dublin, Ohio, USA, is a small community of 50,000. In spite of it’s size the city has a Chief Information Officer, a role which is usually reserved for very large cities like Boston, New York or Los Angeles. Most cities have an IT director whose job is to keep the technology running, not necessarily to envision what’s new and what’s new. A few years ago, under Doug’s leadership, the City of Dublin started its path towards innovation by developing one of the first publicly owned fibre optic networks, called Dublink Broadband. Since then the city has earned a reputation of being techno centric as it embraces utilising technology to advance its economic development interests. The city has the Global Institute for the Study of the Intelligent Community. The institute was established to help share what the City of Dublin has learned about intelligent communities and smart city development, and share those lessons with other communities. They aim to be a kind of conduit and light in showing how communities can use technology to improve the lives of their citizens.   Cities being disrupted Today cities around the world are facing an unprecedent amount of challenges: There’s a declining and degrading trust in government which extends to cities Cities’ residents are increasingly concerned by a dangerous data privacy environment which can have a negative impact on cities and public transactions Budgetary constraints along with innovation around automation and bots have led to government bodies letting go of staff which in turn disrupts the service models that service people Another core challenge is that cities themselves run the risk of being disrupted by digital native companies. If cities do not innovate they will be disrupted like any other business. Google Waze and Google Maps are more often used for information on which roads to travel on instead of government. Government isn’t effectively in control anymore for telling people where to drive or in restricting roads. That’s a disruption. The work undertaken by smart cities is very much centred around transportation. The very nature of transportation, the roads, the traffic lights, how fast people go, a lot of that is being moved into technology vendors. If you look at the technology that's going into connected vehicles it is from those same technology vendors. When these vendors get better at directing people, traffic, and at keeping them safer than governments are, then governments may stop doing it.

In today's Federal Newscast, after one of the world's wealthiest individuals had his phone hacked, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) wants intelligence agencies to begin an investigation.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla talks with Ema Hsieh about the upcoming Top7 Announcement in Taoyuan, Taiwan in February. Then, we go to last year's Summit to learn more about Taoyuan, the 2019 Intelligent Community of the Year.

On this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Director of Operations Matthew Owen speaks with Syd Kitson about Babcock Ranch, a Florida master-planned community built with sustainability and technology in mind.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla speaks with Dr. Guilio Verdini about a recent UNESCO report about culture and Chinese communities. Part 2 of a conversation with Dr. Verdini.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla speaks with Dr. Guilio Verdini about China, Calabria and the links between urban and rural communities. Part 1 of 2.

In this episode if The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla interviews Kevin Cohen of Viasat about satellites and how satellite and broadband connectivity provide rural citizens with opportunities to participate in the global economy without leaving the place they call home. This is the last of a three-part series co-produced with Space & Satellite Professionals International and sponsored by ViaSat.

In this episode if The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla interviews Farmers Edge™ CEO Wade Barnes about satellites and how satellite and data-driven technologies help farmers run efficient operations while producing more food for a rapidly growing global population. This is the second of a three-part series co-produced with Space & Satellite Professionals International and sponsored by ViaSat.

In this episode if The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla interviews Richard Baldridge, Dr. Norman Jacknis and Professor Roberto Gallardo about satellites and how satellite and broadband connectivity provide rural citizens with opportunities to participate in the global economy without leaving the place they call home. This is the first of a three-part series co-produced with Space & Satellite Professionals International and sponsored by ViaSat.

With a real desire to enrich their engagement, Coventry City Council wanted to move on from black-box Survey feedback to a more open way of communicating with their community. They wanted something which allowed a multimedia approach to inform the public with useful documents, photos, and videos. Let’s Talk Coventry became their convenient location where all of their consultations and engagement could live. When discussing Coventry’s project around a new rough sleeping policy, “We have built up a wonderful Q&A where the general public have been asking us tough and searching questions, as well they should. What we have been able to do with that is demonstrate good faith and a willingness to do what we can by answering them in a public way and that is one of the best things I love about the Q&A tool.” James Sampson-Foster, Analyst Engagement Insight Team, Coventry City Council, “The feedback we have received from the public is fantastic. People are reading our strategies that we put up … And they are reading them line by line. They are giving us intelligent, well-considered feedback.” What we’ll cover:
 -Managing risk and finding the opportunity within -How moderation in online engagement opens the door to more meaningful feedback -Homelessness and scarcity of housing -Engagement Platform vs. Social Media -Introducing online engagement to your organization and community -Internal Buy-In

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder speaks with Harout Chitilian, who served as a city councillor of Montreal when the city won the Intelligent Community of the Year Award in 2016.

On October 25, ICF will be announcing the Smart21 Communities of 2019 during an event taking place in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. ICF co-founder John Jung sits down with Lou Zacharilla to discuss the event, in this week's Intelligent Community podcast.   Also on the podcast, we feature an interview with Hamilton, to give you a sense of the community that is hosting the Smart21 announcement later this month.

As a 25-year resident of Hudson, Jim Stifler has chosen to perform his encore career as the City of Hudson's Chief Economic Officer. After a successful 33-year career as a Wall Street executive, Jim is able to showcase his extensive private sector experiences and use his strong ties in the community to move the City forward. In addition to attraction and retention, Jim provides strategic oversight to Hudson's rapidly growing, city - owned, fiber-optic broadband business. Jim's most gratifying work as Chief Economic Officer has been in conjunction with Hudson's Chief Innovation Officer by leading the charge to become an Intelligent Community, and to expand and capitalize on the innovation bias Hudson is blessed to have. It was a tremendous boost to be named to the ICF's Smart21 Intelligent Communities for 2018. To compliment all of these efforts Jim works with innovative start-ups and scale-ups that have qualified for mentoring support at JumpStart Inc. JumpStart is a public /private business acceleration program in Northeast Ohio, that is now 2 decades strong.

As COO for economic development and marketing, Ben Pole drives the strategic and operational direction of Economic Development, Smart Digital City, Marketing and Communications, Tourism and Events, and Media staff and resources for Queensland's fastest growing city. He leads integrated programs and performance for one of Australia's most successful destination marketing organisations to achieve key market advantage and new market success, with a particular focus on developing industry leading digital networks, multi-channel content marketing, and systematic change management. Previously, he served as Director of Strategy, Marketing and Communications at Gold Coast Tourism Corporation. Ben holds a Master of Business Administration from RMIT University, Master of International Relations from Griffith University and Bachelor of Communications from Griffith University.

On June 6, Espoo was named as the 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year. Prior to the Summit, and before knowing his community would be named Intelligent Community of the Year, Mayor Jukka Mäkelä spoke with Lou Zacharilla about Espoo. Jukka Mäkelä was born in Espoo, Finland in 1960. In 2007 Mäkelä was elected as a Member of Parliament for the National Coalition Party. Mäkelä has been the Mayor of Espoo since the start of 2011. He has been involved in the local politics of Espoo as a City Counsellor since 1997, as Chair of the City Board years 2005–2008, and as Chair of the City Council 2009–2010. He gained a degree of Master of Science in Technology from the Helsinki University of Technology.

Greg excels at relationship building, facilitating strategic partnerships, coordinating industry and sector initiatives, and forging substantive collaborations between the public and private sectors. Greg has been tasked with the development of strategic partnerships and alliances between communities and business sectors and is responsible for guiding the development of economic development strategies reflective of Winnipeg's broad and diversified economy and manages north/south trade activities related to the Mid-Continent Trade Corridor. Greg holds director positions on a variety of bi-national and tri-national business development boards including the Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance (CAN/AM BTA) and NASCO (North American Strategy for Competitiveness). Greg has a Master's Degree in City Planning from the University of Manitoba and has his Economic Development certification through the University of Waterloo.

Earlier this week, Doug Ford said that Hamilton keep the money from the LRT project to spend on other infrastructure projects if they reject light rail transit. Now, some councilors are having second thoughts. Guest: Lloyd Ferguson. City Councillor, Ward 12, City of Hamilton. Hamilton is one of the seven cities globally that is competing for the title of Most Intelligent Community. One of the global judges is in town and will be joining Bill. Guest: Robert Bell, one of the global judges for the Intelligent Communities Forum. Are political parties prepared for the Millennial vote? According to data being released this week by Abacus Data, whatever party that can swing the millennial vote will form government for June and in 2019. Guest: Christo Aivalis, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow in History at the University of Toronto.

Hamilton is one of the seven cities globally that is competing for the title of Most Intelligent Community. One of the global judges is in town and will be joining Bill. Guest: Robert Bell, one of the global judges for the Intelligent Communities Forum.

A sure bet for recouping you broadband investment? Follow Columbus, Ohio’s game plan of marrying wired and wireless broadband so your local government’s Internet of Things and their Internet of People to form a truly smart city. Columbus uses broadband and information technology to innovate, collaborate, attract investment, improve government services delivery and raise the quality of life for its citizens, winning it the 2015 Intelligent Community of the Year award. The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) gives this award to highlight communities’ best practices for adapting to the demands of the broadband economy. Gary Cavin, City of Columbus, decribe some of the projects that contributed to his city’s winning its prestigious honor. Researchers at Ohio State University won a two-year $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create a safe and resilient network architecture dubbed the “Science DMZ.” New gigabit networking and application support tools are being developed that will foster broadband adoption. High-definition video supporting public safety, law enforcement and first responders. The city’s Comprehensive Traffic Signaling System (CTSS) program is building a backbone of fiber optic cable and wireless communications technologies. Cavin informs listeners how other cities can use the power of the gigabit to transform government services and create new applications. Several of Columbus’ best practices will be included in the new version Craig Settles’ book, Building the Gigabit City. 

Though occasionally the butt of political humor, Toronto is no joke when it comes of using technology to improve Canada's largest city's economic future, Toronto began serious efforts to capitalize on Internet networks when Muni WiFi was all the rage in 2005, and WiFi emerged again in 2013 as a key technology for the city as they tackle digital inclusion issues. However, its plans to use a gigabit network as part of an aggressive economic development project on the waterfront helped catapult the city to the coveted title of Intelligent Community of the Year.  After an exhaustive survey of over 400 communities worldwide, the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) staff determined Toronto to be the leader of the pack. Waterfront Toronto President and CEO John Campbell discusses the role of broadband in its $35 billion revitalization project. An estimated 12,000 new residents are targeted to receive a 100 Mpbs service, while local businesses should see 10 gigabit services. ICF is a think tank that studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community. It's Intelligent Community awards salute the accomplishments of communities in developing inclusive prosperity on a foundation of information and communications technology,      

Every time you read about some city or county announcing plans to build a highspeed Internet network, it is almost certain you will read that the broadband network is expected to improve the local economy by bringing more innovation and jobs to town. But is this a guaranteed conclusion? Is it enough just to get a gig to every business, or do communities need to wire every home as well? How much innovation is needed before you see new jobs? And how many jobs equal success? To answer these and related questions, Intelligent Community Fourm (ICF) Co-Founder Robert Bell joins us to discuss what our realistic expectations should be when addressing this economic development trifecta. Bell just wrote "Brain Gain: How innovative cities create job growth in an age of disruption," which becomes available June 23.    ICF last week anointed Toronto, Canada the Intelligent Community of the Year after analyzing over 400 communities from around the world. Bell offers listeners a rich array of real-world examples of constituents harnessing the power and potential of broadband to transform their communities. It is hard to predict what innovation will look like exactly, as each community is different, but Bell explains how to set the stage so that a community facilitates innovation.    

Community highspeed Internet networks really started to become prominent in the media during 2011 - 2012, but broadband has been playing key roles in some communities for a decade or more. It is good to occasionally stop and take stock of what this technology is accomplishing. Norm Jacknis, Senior Fellow at the think tank Intelligent Communities Forum (ICF), studies the economic and social development of 21st Century communities. He offers detailed analysis on what uses of broadband networks are proving successful and which tactics require re-tooling. We discuss: what determines success, particularly in rural communities;examples of communities impacting education and economic development;what types of jobs created by broadband are best for long-term community growth; andwhere are communities finding money to move broadband projects forward.   Jacknis provides some background on ICF’s Top 7 Intelligent Communities of the Year. These are chosen from hundreds of communities worldwide, and broadband plays a prominent role in their selection. Starting June 3 they will meet in New York City for the final selection of the Intelligent Community of the Year. 

The intersect between culture, broadband and economic development is important, and about to become more so as the Top 7 Intelligent Communities in the world are unveiled today by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF). This international cast offers best practices in creating competitive local economies capable of excelling in a global broadband economy.  Arlington County, VA and Columbus, OH made it to the Top 7 this year, and will attend ICF's June conference where the Intelligent Community of the Year (the best ofthe best) will be selected after special presentations from the seven communities.  If you are harnessing broadband to boost economic development, the community's culture forms the launch pad for every program and project. Learn how culture provides intangible assets needed for success, determines how readily new ideas are accepted, educates constituents about their role in the new economy, and enables constituents to persuasively articulate the broadband vision.      ICF Co-Founder Robert Bell joins us to describe some of  the broadband best practices that raised the Top 7 above hundreds of other communities worldwide. He also gives listeners tips on how they can assess and leverage their local cultures to help make broadband an economic engine.  

This week the Intelligent Communities Forum selects the world's Intelligent Community of the Year at their annual conference. ICF showcases the innovative use of information and communications tech to build prosperous, inclusive and sustainable communities. However, how does broadband-driven innovation translate into practical benefits? Can you "plan" or create innovation, or does it just happen once the network's built? Several finalists for ICF's big award weigh in on these and other questions as they highlight their respective communities' innovations. This is the interview lineup (all times are EST): 2:00 Mel Norton, Mayor - St. John, N. Brunswick, Canada 2:30 - Dan Mathieson, Mayor - Stratford, Ontario, Canada 3:00 - Jason Hu, Mayor - Taichung, Taiwan 3:30 - Ron Loveridge, Mayor - Riverside, CA, Steve Reneker, CIO - Riverside 4:00 - Regis Labeaume, Mayor - Quebec City, Carl Viel, President - Quebec International      

$7 billion later it's a good time to ask, are we going to see world-stopping innovation? After all, innovation is one of the cool byproducts all of these investments in broadband are supposed to produce. Explore what innovation means when communities have highspeed Internet access, particularly when they own the resource. Inntelligent Community Forum Co-Founder Robert Bell gives listeners a national and international perspective of what we can realistically expect broadband to deliver. More importantly, *how* do we produce great innovation? Is it the speed of the broadband pipe? Is innovation dependent on other technologies integrated with broadband? Does the community shape innovation, or do you create a certain type of environment and innovation is sure to follow? These and other important questions help you shape your broadband plan.