City of Rochester
News Release
(Monday, Oct. 24, 2016) — Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced today that the City of Rochester has been selected to advance past the first stage of the Intelligent Community Awards. Rochester is the only U.S. city named as an Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) Smart21 semi-finalist, chosen from nearly 400 entries. As a Smart21 semi-finalist, Rochester will be contention to be designated “Intelligent Community of the Year” in June.
“We are proud to be the only U.S. city named as an Intelligent Community semi-finalist by the ICF,” said Mayor Warren. “This designation shows that Rochester is surpassing many communities in its resurgence and will help us put the world on notice that Rochester, New York is an ideal location for the entrepreneurial class, for keeping and growing current businesses and for attracting new companies worldwide. As we expand our precision manufacturing base, we are building our legacy as a leader in innovation, creativity and technology.”
The ICF—a global think tank that aims to connect cities and regions for collaboration on economic development and exchange of expertise and information—holds the Intelligent Community Awards annually. ICF researches how communities use information and communications technology to build inclusive prosperity, solve social problems and enrich quality of life. Nominations are evaluated on six “Intelligent Community Factors.”
1) Broadband: Availability and quality of broadband and the development of strategies to encourage broadband deployment and adoption.
2) Knowledge Workforce: A labor workforce that creates economic value through its knowledge, skills and ability to use information effectively. Collaboration among schools, universities and employers. Educational attainment; number of higher education institutions; programs and projects aimed at raising the skill level of youth and adults;
3) Innovation: Local government policies to promote business, institutional and/or government innovation; online services provided by the government; active innovative development
4) Digital equality: Availability of online access to citizens; programs to promote digital adoption;
5) Sustainability; Tracking of sustainability measures; sustainability programs or projects; and
6) Advocacy: Citizen involvement, communication and engagement.
For more information, visit http://www.intelligentcommunity.org/awards.
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News Media: For more information, contact Press Officer Jessica Alaimo at 428-7135.