The City of Westerville is being recognized as an “Intelligent Community” leading the way in sustainability. The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) named the City to its top five of 30 communities ranked by sustainability.
The ICF evaluates communities on the basis of their performance in six key indicators: broadband connectivity, knowledge workforce, innovation, digital equality, advocacy and sustainability.
According a statement from the organization, “Sustainability is considered a success factor because it offers multiple benefits to the economic, social and cultural life of communities. Quality of life in a community is tied to the environment within the community, from air quality to water pollution. Communities must take action toward sustainability goals to improve their quality of life and protect themselves from harm – all while contributing to the health of the world.”
The spotlight on Westerville’s sustainability success stems from the City’s many environmentally friendly programs like BusinessWISE, which provides incentives for businesses that perform energy-saving facility upgrades. Read more from the ICF.
In October, the organization announced that Westerville was a 2020 Smart21 community. The City and 20 other communities are now engaged in a more intensive application process to be considered for ICF’s list of 2020 Top7 Intelligent Community. Westerville has the distinct honor of being the first City named to both lists on its first attempt for recognition in 2019.
The ICF will announce the 2020 Top7 honorees in February. Learn more about the process of recognition at www.intelligentcommunity.org.
