For the second consecutive year the City of Surrey has been named as one of the Top 7 Intelligent Communities by the New York-based think tank Intelligent Community Forum. The fourteenth annual Top7 list includes cities from four nations. Montreal and Winnipeg are the other Canadian cities to make the list and the remaining communities are from Germany, Taiwan, and New Zealand.
“It is an honour to be named for the second year in the row among the Top 7 Intelligent Communities,” said Mayor Linda Hepner. “With our rapid growth, we are always looking to innovate and make the best use of leading edge technology to continually improve the quality of life for our citizens and to shape the Surrey of the future.”
Surreyhas been recognized for its diversification strategy and partnership between its institutions of higher learning and local business. In particular, the City’s Innovation Boulevard project where the city, universities and business are building clusters in health technology, clean tech and advanced manufacturing.
“Being recognized like this is an indication of the great work being done to advance smart city strategies in our community,” said Councillor Bruce Hayne, Chair of the City’s Investment & Innovation Committee. "This worthy global movement is leading cities around the world and sharing best practices in open data, broadband inclusion and utilizing technology to make fact-based decisions and provide better services to citizens"
The Intelligent Community Forum studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community. ICF studies and promotes the best practices of the world's Intelligent Communities as they adapt to the new demands and seize the opportunities presented by information and communications technology.
More information on the Top 7 Intelligent Communities can be found here.