Austin, Texas

To address a workforce challenge, Austin established a program that puts college enrollment managers into public schools to guide the choices made by students. The program has helped boost the graduation rate for low-income students 14 percentage points to 75 percent.

Despite the financial crisis that hit in 2007, Oulu managed to create 18,000 jobs in high tech, thanks to risk-taking in education and strong public-private collaboration.

Quebec Metro High Tech Park is now home to nearly 100 companies employing 5,000 people, and the park’s management team continues to advise and steer promising applications from universities into commercial development.Photo by: Paulo Barcelos

The city is building a tech-based economy that seizes the opportunities of the broadband revolution. In addition, carriers have deployed fiber and wireless networks reaching 80 percent of the city. Photo by: vlasta2

The city targeted ICT, life sciences, tourism, energy and advanced manufacturing for growth, in a strategy called True Growth.

A city-owned company has laid nearly 40 miles of optical fiber and used it as the backbone of a public WiFi network. Broadband and IT have also addressed the challenges of rural health care.

The city has, over time, invested side-by-side with Taiwan’s telecommunications carriers. As a result, Taichung now has 80 percent coverage for both WiMax wireless and fiber broadband, with 100 percent expected within five years.