Background

Because of the convergence of information technology and economics in a global society, the world's map is being reshaped as are industry, government and all institutions. As the global information economy is evolving rapidly, more major changes in the basic structure of econoies and society and taking place today than at any other time in the history of the world. Institutions, private and public, as well as communities worldwide, are being forced to reinvent themselves as power is being realigned, and wealth redefined. Communities that fail to organize themselves to take advantage of these fundamental trends, may risk cutting themselves off from the mainstream of world economic development.

While the Foundation will seek to help both private and public interests, its concerns are particularly focused on facilitating the development of "smart communities", and disseminating information to all concerned parties. Central to the process of community renewal is an understanding of the importance of the private sector, and the benefits of private/public partnership. If communities are to succeed, they will aggressively embrace such collaborative opportunities as they deploy the tools of this new age; an age in which information has become wealth and information technology the means of wealth creation. It is indeed an age of information production, storage, use, and transfer. It is also an age of increased interdependence.

Fundamental to this important and vital shifts is education. Accordingly, the basic mission of the World Foundation for Smart Communities is fourfold:

• to help all involved at the international, federal, state and local level to understand the importance of a "smart community,"
• to provide information to make intelligent choices about decisions that need to be made now,
• to provide assistance as "communities" position themselves for these changes, and
• to provide the expertise and intelligence to integrate telecommunications and information technology -- (broadly defined to include cable, telephone, broadcast, non-broadcast media, and the Internet) -- in as sophisticated a way as possible.

Technology must not be seen as an end in itself; only as a beginning and as a catalyst for transforming health care, education, travel, tourism, business, and government too. Indeed, the ultimate goal is to help transform every sector of the economy and society to meet the challenges of a rapidly emerging, knowledge-based global information age.

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