Hamilton Congratulates Espoo, Finland - 2018 World’s Most Intelligent Community

HAMILTON, ON - Today, the City of Espoo, Finland was named the top Intelligent Community in the world by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) in front of a global audience in London, England. The City of Hamilton would like to congratulate Espoo on their achievement. The list of global municipalities competing for this honour started at nearly 400 in September 2017, then reduced to the “Smart 21”, then the “Top 7” over the course of the past several months (of which Hamilton was named a “Top 7” finalist). This was Hamilton’s second time competing for the momentous honour- having reached the Smart 21 in 2016.

“I am truly proud of our effort and achievement on a global scale,” ...  “A top 7 ranking is quite remarkable and the work of Espoo has given us greater guidance as to what makes a top city in this regard- something we will be working to achieve again next year.”

Hamilton Mayor, Fred Eisenberger

In order to be considered an “Intelligent Community” candidates are evaluated based on two major criteria:

• Six Intelligent Community Indicators (broadband, knowledge workforce, innovation, digital equality, sustainability, advocacy), which provide the conceptual framework for understanding all of the factors that determine a community's competitiveness and point to its success in what the Intelligent Community Forum calls, “The Broadband Economy”
• The annual theme. The 2018 theme was Humanizing Data, which explores the intersection between big data and open data, and the impacts of a data-driven economy on communities. Click here for more information on the 2018 theme.

As part of Hamilton’s submission, Hamilton highlighted our deep collaboration partnerships with the Hamilton Anchor Institution Leadership Group, the Mayor’s Intelligent Community Task Force, as well as strong community projects like Mohawk College’s City School and Industry Education Council’s Code Clubs. Partners in the bid included, McMaster University, Mohawk College, Hamilton Health Sciences, Clearcable Networks, and the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce amongst many more in the greater community.

“Although we fell short of the top honour, Hamilton’s ranking and presentation indicates that our collaborative efforts to make Hamilton the best place to raise a child and age successfully are truly on the right track,” ...  “There has been a significant amount of time, effort, and budget expended annually to ensure that everyone, no matter their station in life, is part of the positive changes happening here.”

Hamilton City Manager, Chris Murray

The Intelligent Community Forum is a global network of cities and regions with a think tank at its center. Its mission is to help communities use information and communications technology (ICT) to create inclusive prosperity, tackle social and governance challenges and enrich their quality of life.