| The Intelligent Waterloo Way by Paul Stickney, Marketing and Research Officer, Canada's Technology Triangle Inc Each year the organization conducts studies of communities around the globe and the process is completed with the selection of an annual Intelligent Community of the Year award. Waterloo Region is no stranger to this coveted title. In 2007, Waterloo, Ontario was awarded this distinction driven by local community leaders, and Waterloo has not looked back. Each day Waterloo lives and breathes the ‘intelligent way’. The city of Waterloo has effectively enhanced the brand of Waterloo Region with their 2007 Intelligent Community of the Year award. For more than three decades the City of Waterloo has followed a strategy of supporting and encouraging innovation. The foundations of this successful model are evident in economic development promotion, and the strategic plans of the city. In its 2005 strategic plan, Waterloo updated its focus on intelligent and sustainable development for the community. The strategy provided a focus for the evolution and sustainability of the Intelligent Community concept through the expansion of both infrastructure and local service delivery initiatives. The following five key strategies framed the plan: 1. Planning for Growth and Change 2. Addressing Service Needs 3. Safe and Caring Community 4. Building Partnerships 5. Pursuing Operational Excellence At the heart of Waterloo's nomination is focused collaboration. His Excellency, David Johnston, Governor General of Canada and former President of the University of Waterloo, consistently encouraged community leaders to this concept. He stated, "There is the spirit of taking talent and ideas from different spheres and different settings and putting them together for a common purpose, that common purpose being to grow the community better than any community I know." Waterloo Region boasts a knowledge economy that is globally recognized, including firms such as Research In Motion (RIM), Open Text, Christie Digital, Google, COM DEV, DALSA, Enermodal Engineering, and Raytheon. In addition, the knowledge economy is further bolstered by the strategic importance of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, the Centre of International Governance Innovation, Communitech and the David Johnston Research and Technology Park. The strong entrepreneurial character in Waterloo Region has been enhanced by the University of Waterloo's innovative policy on the commercialization of intellectual property, which allows students and faculty to retain property rights for their innovations. As a direct result of that policy, our patents granted per capita is approximately 4.3 times that of the national average. All levels of government, Canada, Ontario, Region of Waterloo and cities, have worked in partnership with the University of Waterloo to create the David Johnston Research + Technology Park. The University of Waterloo accounts for approximately 22% of all spin-offs from Canadian universities, and reports an estimated $1.1 billion a year in economic impact in Waterloo Region. Without a doubt, the city of Waterloo has recognized the importance of remaining at the peak of its game. While 2007 may have marked a public recognition of the community on the global scale, it in no way marked the completion of high level achievements. Rather, Waterloo Region continues to prosper on many levels including being entrepreneurial, collaborative and diverse. In exchange, the quality of life for citizens in the community continues to improve. Smart cities know how to leverage recognition and strategically utilize distinctions into future planning. Waterloo has found this balance and hasn’t looked back. The Smart21 of 2011 are: • Birmingham, UK • Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA • Chongqing, China • Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil • Dakota County, Minnesota, USA • Danville, Virginia, USA • Dublin, Ohio, USA • Eindhoven, Netherlands • Ipswich, Queensland, Australia • Issy-les-Moulineaux, France • Jaipur, Rajasthan, India • Northeast Ohio, USA • Quebec City, Quebec, Canada • Riverside, California, USA • Shanghai, China • Sopron, Hungary • Stratford, Ontario, Canada • Taoyuan County, Taiwan • Trikala, Greece • Windsor-Essex, Ontario, Canada • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada The Smart21 announcement is the first stage of ICF's annual Intelligent Community Awards cycle. It is followed by the naming of the Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year, selected from among the Smart21. The Top Seven announcement will be made on January 19, 2011 and the Intelligent Community of the Year will be announced in New York City on June 3, 2011 during ICF’s annual Building the Broadband Economy Summit (www.icfsummit.com). Canada's Technology Triangle Inc is the not-for-profit, public-private regional economic development partnership marketing Waterloo Region to the world. Its mandate is to attract new businesses, investment and talent, while promoting regional economic growth. The organization works closely with the Economic Development Departments of its partner municipalities, member-based business organizations and the four post-secondary educational institutions. The area known as Canada’s Technology Triangle includes Waterloo Region, the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo and the townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich. 260 King Street West, 3rd Floor, Kitchener, ON N2G 1B6 | 519-747-2541 | info@techtriangle.com. |
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