Phase I
The California Institute for SmartCommunitiesTM, under the auspices of the International Center for Communications at San Diego State University, has been designated by the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) to administer Phase II of a CALTRANS contract aimed at providing technical assistance to interested California communities who are interested in transforming themselves into "smart communities." Phase I of the contract was concluded in December 1996 with the Third Annual "Cities of the Future" Conference, held in San Diego in December 1996. Other outcomes of Phase I included the completion, production, and release of two publications: 1) Smart Communities Guidebook, and 2) Smart Communities Implementation Guide.
As defined by the Smart Communities Guidebook, a "smart community" is "a geographical area ranging in size from a neighborhood to a multi-county region whose residents, organizations, and governing institutions are using information technology to transform their region in significant ways. Cooperation among government, industry, educators, and the citizenry, instead of individual groups acting in isolation, is preferred. The technological enhancements undertaken as part of this effort should result in fundamental, rather than incremental, change."
One of the main purposes of this project is to educate community leaders throughout California about the ways in which computer and telecommunications technology can be used to promote job creation, economic development, and an improved quality of life in communities throughout California. Although the project uses technological capabilities as a touchstone, its main focus is on the ways in which institutions, organizations, and processes can and must be transformed in order to make the best use of emerging technologies.
In addition, the project recognizes that needs and resources vary from community to community, and that the best approaches and solutions will be those that are tailored to the requirements of specific communities. Therefore a second major purpose of this project is to provide "custom fit" technical assistance to specific communities that have requested help from the project in moving towards becoming a smart community. To this end, a statewide team of technical specialists with backgrounds in smart community initiatives, technology transfer, and community development has been assembled by the California Institute for SmartCommunitiesTM to provide this community-based technical assistance. Members of this team will assist in the outreach and other project activities necessary to fulfil the objectives of Phase II in an appropriate, timely, and satisfactory fashion. The members of this team include:
Bay Area Council
Davis Community Network
La Jolla Institute
Net at Two Rivers
San Diego Data Processing Corporation
Sean Riley New Media Consulting
Stoorza, Ziegaus and Metzger, Inc.
