TALLINN AMONG TOP SEVEN CITIES OF MOST INTELLIGENT CITIES

United Press International
Jan. 18, 2007

Seven cities in North America, Europe and Asia were named the world’s most “intelligent communities” by a non-profit New York job-creation think tank.

The seven cities deemed intelligent communities — “role models for the world’s best practices in creating competitive local economies and vibrant societies” — are Dundee, Scotland; the Gangnam district of Seoul, South Korea; Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, outside Paris; Ottawa and Waterloo, Ontario; Sunderland, England; and Tallinn, Estonia, the New York-based Intelligent Community Forum said.

While all cities were cited for their leadership, high-tech Waterloo was recognized for its “university-business-government collaboration, enlightened intellectual-property policies and a culture of reinvestment in the community.”

Gangnam, South Korea’s equivalent of Silicon Valley, “is setting global standards for e-government services delivered via broadband, cable TV, mobile phone and other technologies, which have increased the transparency and responsiveness of government,” the forum said.

Issy-les-Moulineaux “has created the most advanced broadband economy in France.”

Tallinn “took an unprecedented gamble on information and communications technology” and has had 10 years of 5 percent or more economic growth a year.

The overall winner will be announced on May 18.