Birmingham flies UK flag on Smart 21 list
Birmingham has been named as one of the world's 21 top "intelligent communities". The city is the only UK location to appear on the Smart 21 list, which was created by The Intelligent Communities Forum (ICF).
The forum analysed the impact of access and information technologies on economic and social developments to form the list.
Birmingham is the only UK city to be included, and only one of four European cities to make the top 21.
The 21 cities will eventually be whittled down to seven before one of them is named Intelligent Community of the Year 2011 next June. The title is currently held by Suwon, South Korea.
Birmingham City Council's deputy leader Paul Tilsley said that Birmingham's success was “founded” on the work of the organisations which together make up the Digital Birmingham partnership, which he heads.
"I am delighted that the efforts of the partnership to create a digital city have been recognised on the global stage by the independent Intelligent Communities Forum," said Councillor Tilsley.
"This is not about the technology itself but about the way we use it to generate wealth, create jobs, provide more efficient services and improve the quality of life for all our citizens.
"I recognise that there is still much for us to do to encourage businesses to exploit technology, to make our services more personalised, with more scope for citizen self service, and to reduce the number of digital 'have-nots' in our society. However, it is great to have independent confirmation that we are moving in the right direction to improve Birmingham for businesses and citizens."
