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City of Holyoke, Mass., and Cisco Collaborate on Urban Renewal With Smart+Connected Communities Vision

  • Project to Establish Vibrant 21st Century Neighborhood Aims to Create Economic Opportunity, Improve Education and Retain Residents

HOLYOKE, MA, Feb 10, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced that it is collaborating with the city of Holyoke, Mass., to establish a cooperative relationship that advances the city's community vision for revitalization and stability. Faced with familiar urban planning challenges such as unemployment, population loss in the town center to rapid growth in Holyoke suburban neighborhoods, and delivery of services to a moving population, the city of Holyoke is taking an innovative approach in investigating the positive effect that an Internet-based, connected community model can play in helping to revitalize the local economy.

By working collaboratively toward a common vision of Smart+Connected Communities, the city and Cisco intend to use technology to deliver urban services in a different way in order to generate new economic opportunity, to improve the delivery and quality of education, and bolster population retention. To meet this shared goal, Cisco and Holyoke intend to carry out planning and related activities to select a central downtown district as a pilot project that will be modernized with the latest network solutions within a proposed flagship innovation district. The process aims to define a new model for providing citizens with critical urban services such as education, healthcare, and improved access to local and state government.

The initial pilot is expected to provide a localized blueprint for redevelopment that can be progressively rolled out across all of Holyoke's neighborhoods, with the aim of spurring long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability within the entire city. As a result, citizens are expected to enjoy a more collaborative environment, one that fosters their involvement in reaching the community's goals for transformation and connectivity.