ICF Canada Launches New Guide: “From Connectivity to Community”

Guide to start a SMART21 Intelligent Community in Canada – and then to go from being Smart to becoming Intelligent… 

ICF Canada is pleased to launch “From Connectivity to Community”, a new guidebook developed to help Canadian communities turn enabling technology, especially broadband and other digital assets, into economic growth, stronger social and community bonds, and a better quality of life for its citizens anywhere in Canada. It assumes that your community already has adequate broadband connectivity in place and is ready to take the next steps:

• Becoming more engaged, taking on leadership roles in defining issues and gaps to fill
• Developing practical plans that can lead to realistic and affordable solutions to meet those needs.

It speaks to community leaders in local governments and regional districts, to members of legislatures, educators, technology providers, business leaders, agencies, economic development and regional planning organizations. It will help kickstart community efforts to use digital connectivity to improve life in the most important place on earth – the place called home.  Learn more about what you can find in this guidebook.

In these pages, you will find:

• A framework for understanding the challenges facing communities in the digital age and the opportunities for – and necessity of – action;
• Examples of Canadian and international examples of communities that grew their economies, addressed social challenges, strengthened community bonds and enriched their culture; and
• Roadmaps that show you how every place can improve its people’s skills, make businesses more innovative and successful, use technology to better serve people, and contribute to the community spirit that makes the place called home unique.

Written especially for communities in the rural stretches of Canada, “From Connectivity to Community” answers a question of vital importance for small, rural, remote and indigenous communities – once communities manage through great effort and commitment to obtain the broadband network services their citizens, businesses and institutions need, what will they do with them?  Watch Netflix?  Shop on Amazon?  Play online games?  If those are the only outcomes, broadband will fail utterly to deliver on its potential. The guidebook offers concepts, practical advice and a convenient checklist for turning connectivity into greater opportunity, local economic growth, social connection and cultural richness.   It especially gives the small, smart places of the world a chance to compete and prosper in a fast-changing global economy.

According to author Robert Bell, ICF’s Co-Founder, “Smart cities apply technology to operate faster, cheaper and better.  Their projects save taxpayers money and make the city or county work better – but it is not how connectivity leads to opportunity for a better life.  Intelligent Communities also adopt technology but they find vision-driven, community-based, technology smart solutions to their most urgent problems. The digital economy has brought growth and change.  It has also brought decline.  Mall visits in North America fell by half from 2010 to 2013 and have kept falling since.  The culprit is e-commerce, which also creates tens of thousands of new jobs.  Those new jobs pay better than retail jobs and wages are growing fast – but they also require more education.  So pervasive has the digital economy become that it is almost impossible to apply for a job without doing it online.”

While written for ICF Canada to assist Canadian communities, especially some of the rural, remote and smaller communities across Canada, the guidebook is also able to be used by larger communities across Canada and around the world.  An international version of this guidebook is being planned by ICF for international consumption in 2019.