Toronto may be the fourth most livable city in the world but it appears that Montreal is up there with the smartest communities. Today the Canton, Ohio-based Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) has named the greater region of Montreal as one of the 21 Intelligent Communities of the Year (Smart21). And it’s largely due to the fact that the city possesses tons of “visionary companies” coupled with several high-ranking universities.
Its all part of the 2014 edition of the Intelligent Community of the Year Awards. TechnoMontréal, the information and communication technologies (ICT) cluster of Greater Montreal, submitted Montreal’s nomination. It was supported by both the city of Montreal, the Chambre de commerce du Montréal métropolitain and Montréal International.
According to the Chambre de commerce du Montréal métropolitain’s Michel Leblanc, it’s a city of knowledge that relies on its “rich ecosystem of higher educational establishments and visionary companies.”
“This is an important distinction highlighting the expertise of our companies in the information and communication technologies field,” said Leblanc. “This recognition confirms – if ever there still needed confirmation – that this city really does sit amongst the most advanced metropolitan regions in its application of new technologies.”
Since 1999, the Intelligent Community of the Year Awards annually recognize cities or regions that stand out “in the development of smart cities”. The evaluation criteria are composed of five recurrent themes: broadband network, innovation, knowledge workforce and digital inclusion and marketing & advocacy. There’s also an annual theme every year, and 2014’s is “Community as Canvas,” focussing on culture.
“The advancement and potential of the Greater Montreal region as an intelligent city is not well known by the public at large. The city already has around twenty independent “smart” initiatives and several major projects are in the works,” said TechnoMontreal’s Lidia Divry. “Since 2011, TechnoMontréal has brought together these initiatives and coordinated structuring projects within a development vision called Montréal Digital Metropolis that aims to propel the metropolitan region into the ranks of the major “Smart Cities” of the world.”
Greater Montreal “has distinguished itself by the quality and quantity of its ongoing digital development projects, as well as the predominant place that culture holds in the city,” read a release.