Durham cited among Smart21 communities for Whitby autonomous bus, pothole detection AI and more
Published March 18, 2022 at 1:48 pm
The Region of Durham continues to stay in the global innovation spotlight with a citation among the international Smart21 communities from the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) for the second year in a row in honour of numerous technical projects.
Durham joins communities from Australia, Brazil, Greece, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Taiwan and Vietnam in receiving “a badge of honor as well as the first step greater recognition as an Intelligent Community.”
Among the numerous reasons for Durham’s induction are the Whitby Autonomous Shuttle project, the pothole detecting ROVER AI project and the success of installing the Regional Broadband Network.
Describing a “digital transformation” across the Region, Durham highlighted it’s My311 project bringing municipal services to smart devices like Alexa and Siri, a virtual business showcase, and the Durham CityStudio partnership with Durham College and Ontario Tech University as its major achievements.
“Durham Region is leading the way on the world stage. We are eager to capitalize on our legacy as builders in a new economy that features autonomous and electric vehicles, clean technology and innovative service delivery,” said Regional Chair John Henry.
“Being named as one of the top Smart21 Communities of the Year is a wonderful recognition of the important work being done to create the Durham of tomorrow, today,” he continued.
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Chief Administrative Officer Elaine Baxter-Trahair concurred saying, ““Economic growth and a great quality of life in the diverse Region of Durham is supported by strong, responsive, sustainable services provided by Regional government.”
“First-of-their-kind initiatives such as the smart home device project show that we aren’t afraid to try new things to help us learn, grow, and better serve our community,” she added, “It’s no wonder Durham is growing faster than just about anywhere in Canada.”
To Baxter-Trahair’s point, Durham Region’s population is expected to double over the next 20 years, with 1.2 million residents expected to call Durham home by 2041 requiring rapid expansion of infrastructure the Region is pursuing.
Durham and the other 20 communities cited by on the list are now eligible to complete for the Top7 global smart communities. The ultimate finalists will be announced within 60 days.
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