I am very happy that Richmond, VA was picked as an IBM Smarter City 2013 and won grant money. Richmond, VA is approximately 1.5 hours from Virginia Beach, VA and a beautiful city. Great award and honor for Richmond, VA!
Below is the announcement:
Smarter Cities Challenge 2013 winners
IBM has selected 31 cities worldwide to receive IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grants in 2013. The Smarter Cities Challenge, now in its third year, is IBM's single largest philanthropic initiative, valued at US $50 million. Over three years, the program is deploying teams of top IBM experts to work with 100 cities around the world.
During immersive, 3-week engagements, teams of 5 to 6 experts in a range of disciplines work in their host cities to deliver detailed recommendations addressing key urban issues identified by local elected officials and other stakeholders.
The grant recipients were announced at an invitation-only Smarter Cities Challenge Summit in Palisades, New York that brought together mayors and city leaders with IBM experts and urban policy leaders. The nearly 20 mayors in attendance, representing every inhabited continent, included those from cities that were previously awarded Smarter Cities Challenge grants, as well as those whose cities have been named 2013 winners.
At the Summit, leaders of 2013 winning cities collaborated with previous winners from around the world and with IBM's Smarter Cities experts, many of whom are Smarter Cities Challenge alumni, to discuss lessons learned from the first 2 years of the program and share successful strategies on topics ranging from transportation and economic development to sustainability and citizen participation. They also reviewed innovative solutions to the major challenges facing cities today, such as identifying financing, refining operating strategies, improving productivity, driving organizational change, and using data and technology effectively.

