金士顿是加拿大历史最悠久的城市之一，建在湖泊和河流的战略交汇处，拥有历史悠久的滨水区，是联邦和省级机构的雇主基地，吸引的人均政府补贴高于加拿大其他城市。 由于部署了开放接入的社区宽带网络，并在安大略东区网络的投资以及为周边乡村地区带来了10Mbps的服务，金士顿一直被评为加拿大第三最佳生活和最智慧的城市。超过90％的金斯敦人使用宽带服务。 但地方经济严重依赖公共部门的支出，使得金士顿很容易受到政府决定的影响。地方政府制定了多元化的经济发展战略，同时也保持居民所珍视的文化和生活质量。
Building Innovation
It is aided in this undertaking by the presence of Queen’s University, a top 10 research institution and St. Lawrence College, a 2-year institution with schools of business, computer and engineering technology, health sciences and skilled trades. Queen’s University founded an office in 1987, called PARTEQ Innovations, to identify intellectual property and support its commercialization. PARTEQ went on to build Innovation Park, where academic, business and government researchers work to pioneer new technologies and bring them to market.
Innovation has a particular focus in Kingston. The public, business, education and government have rallied around a goal to make environmental sustainability its focus. Local government launched a community planning process that resulted in Sustainable Kingston, a plan that gave rise to a nonprofit of the same name. As a result, most research and commercialization focuses on greentech and cleantech, from the Federal GreenCentre Canada research lab to a Fuel Cell Research Centre and High-Performance Virtual Computing Lab. Successful businesses are also pioneering in automation, life sciences and health technologies. In addition to sustainability, the city launched a Kingston Culture Plan in 2010 to increase the impact of the city’s already sizeable arts and culture economy, both for its own economic value and its attractiveness to creative professionals. City leaders see these efforts as steps in social transformation, helping a community that is already satisfied with its lot in life to seize the vast potential of the broadband economy.
Population: 123,363
Labor Force: 90,000
Website: www.cityofkingston.ca
Smart21 2009 | 2014
Top7 2014