The most vital cities in the world enable their communities with leading-edge technology that engages, informs, and empowers. Mayor Emanuel’s vision for achieving this is built on a commitment to modern infrastructure, smart communities, and technological innovation. The initiatives in this plan chart a course to realize Chicago’s potential as a city where technology fuels opportunity, inclusion, engagement, and innovation for all.
The public-private technology plan lays out the path to achieve this vision, highlighting five broad technology-based strategies and identifying current and future initiatives within each of those strategies that together will accelerate economic growth, build educated and digitally-engaged communities and workforce, improve government services, and reduce costs through technology. This plan will:
- Enable and encourage major stakeholders in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to focus, prioritize, and coordinate their technology-based efforts to achieve maximum impact for Chicagoans;
- Describe Chicago’s plans and opportunities for partnering with private companies, universities, and other organizations to build a world-class broadband infrastructure and increase options for digital access across the city;
- Provide educational guideposts to ensure Chicago’s students and workforce have the skills they need to succeed in technology-driven fields;
- Help guide communities as they support residents’ digital success and business growth;
- Demonstrate the path Chicago is on to become the most transparent, innovative, effective, and efficient municipal government;
- Highlight how our residents are empowered to help create innovative solutions to big city issues;
- Help guide technology-based investments for entrepreneurs and businesses.
John Tolva was the lead author and policy advocate for this project.