By Gina Bericchia of Written Impact

The City of Dublin has ranked second on the list of 2011 Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF).

Entrepreneurship In a Smarter City

For the second year in a row, the ICF recognized Dublin, reporting that eighty percent of residences have a university degree. The ICF noted the surge of entrepreneurship in Dublin. Despite being home to a number of large companies, the average Dublin business employs seven people.

Other Reasons Dublin Stands Out

A strategic planning exercise led Dublin to install underground conduits to encourage fiber-optic deployment.  This became DubLink, a public-private fiber network for business, government and schools, which spurred aggressive roll-out of e-government services from digital filing of taxes to Dublin TV online video channels.  An all-Dublin wireless network has extended coverage to provide cost-saving service automation to the city and a platform for service providers to reach customers.  Dublin also uses the availability of dark fiber to attract employers like OhioHealth and the Online Computer Library Center, and drives innovation in partnership with a nonprofit that has accelerated the growth of 50 local companies.

What do you think makes Dublin one of the most intelligent communities in the world?