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1. Conducting City Diplomacy: A Survey of International Engagement in 47 Cities

Author:
Anna Kosovac, Keith Hartley, Michele Acuto, and Darcy Gunning
Publication Date:
10-2020
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Abstract:
Conducting City Diplomacy: A Survey of International Engagement in 47 Cities OCTOBER 7, 2020 By: Anna Kosovac, Research Fellow, International Urban Policy, University of Melbourne’s Connected Cities Lab; Kris Hartley, Nonresident Fellow, Global Cities; Michele Acuto, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Cities; Darcy Gunning, Research Assistant, University of Melbourne’s Connected Cities Lab Executive Summary The impact of global challenges such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic manifests most acutely in urban settings, rendering cities essential players on the global stage. In the 2018 report Toward City Diplomacy, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs presented findings from a survey of 27 cities on the capacity of local governments around the world to network internationally—and the perceived barriers to that engagement. The report found that cities “need to invest in resources, expertise, and capacity to manage their relationships and responsibilities to conduct city diplomacy effectively.” In our new survey of 47 cities, we find that advice to still ring true. City officials broadly recognize the importance of engaging internationally but lack the necessary formal diplomacy training and resources for conducting that engagement to maximum effect. Nevertheless, cities maintain a strong commitment to global agendas, and international frameworks are increasingly influential in municipal affairs. For example, more than half of survey respondents said they track their city’s performance against the metrics of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, we found that cities and their leaders are confident in their capacity to tackle global challenges. For instance, the majority of survey respondents said that city governments have greater potential for impact on climate change mitigation than their national government counterparts do, especially when acting collaboratively through city networks and multilateral urban programs. The individual stories of five cities whose officials participated in the study offer lessons for a variety of challenges and approaches to city diplomacy. Based on the survey results, we discuss the three primary obstacles cities must overcome in order to strengthen the role of city diplomacy globally: inadequate funding and resources for international engagement, insufficient training in city diplomacy, and the failure of national and multilateral bodies to fully recognize and formalize city engagement in diplomacy. We conclude with a framework for ensuring that city-diplomacy efforts are systematic and institutionalized rather than reliant on the personalities and connections of powerful city leaders. This capacity-building strategy can help cities leverage international coordination, information sharing, and intersectoral collaboration to address the complex and interconnected problems that will characterize the 21st century.
Topic:
Climate Change, Diplomacy, Sustainable Development Goals, Urban, Cities, and COVID-19
Political Geography:
Global Focus

2. Security in the Age of Cities

Author:
Kristin Ljungkvist
Publication Date:
04-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Abstract:
Security in the Age of Cities APRIL 24, 2019 By: Kristin Ljungkvist, Nonresident Fellow, Global Cities Cities around the world find themselves at the front lines of our most pressing global security issues. Today, terrorism, transnational violence, civil and ethnic unrest, organized crime, and cyber threats all have an urban face. Extremists attack cities to achieve maximum impact and criminals use violence to control territory. Hate crimes, demographic tensions, and lone wolves add to the disturbing trends and high homicide rates manifesting in cities. In conflict zones, cities tend to become the symbolic as well as de facto epicenter of conflicts with humanitarian and criminal spillover effects, such as human displacement and trafficking of people and weapons. Securing our cities is emerging as one of the most important challenges of our time. For an extended historical period, nation-states have held nearly sole responsibility for providing security, and they certainly continue to have the greatest responsibility today. However, city and municipal authorities are increasingly proactive, and in some cases, are becoming security actors in and of themselves. This change brings with it uncertainty around the division of responsibilities between the local, national and international authorities. While local governments play an important role in both national and international security governance processes, it is not always clear what role, function, means and responsibilities local governments have in relation to other levels of government. In some cases, the political structure of nation-state level government impedes the ability to prepare and respond effectively to urban security challenges. Intelligence communities are not set up to communicate easily with municipal forces, and local agencies typically do not have the security clearances they need to stay abreast of transnational threats . In response, cities are creating their own counter-terrorism and security agencies given the problems associated with coordination across levels of governments . Cities are also struggling with the need to strike a balance between safety and security measures on the one hand, and keeping the city open and welcoming on the other. Security concerns have led to increased surveillance and expanded legal and physical capacities . There’s a clear risk for a militarization of urban space.
Topic:
Security, Governance, Urban, and Cities
Political Geography:
North America

3. Untapped Wealth of Cities

Author:
Alexander Hitch
Publication Date:
05-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Abstract:
For many cities, finding innovative ways to fund infrastructure projects, pay off existing public debts, and meet recurring budget shortfalls is a perpetual challenge. Yet city leaders are often unaware of the value of their publicly-owned assets, and how to leverage this value for the common good. Many cities worldwide are facing the concurrent challenges of deteriorating infrastructure, demands for new development, and requests for expanded services, all within constrained budget parameters. PwC Megatrends expects, for example, that $8 trillion in infrastructure spending will be needed in New York, Beijing, Shanghai, and London over the next decade. As cities age and grow, the pressures on both infrastructure and on local governments increase faster than cities can respond. To support their balance sheets, city leaders are looking for new, creative sources of revenue, independent of tax increases or allowing the whole-scale privatization of public assets, such as airports, harbors, sewerage, and unused real estate. Cities must understand how to unlock the wealth of these public assets to generate future cash flows and manage the governance and accounting processes to ensure long-term stability and returns. A novel approach to solving public-sector budget shortfalls is untapping the value of their commercial assets through private and professional management. Publicly-owned commercial assets include real estate, such as buildings and land, but also operational assets, which include utilities, such as energy and water. Leveraging public wealth without adding additional taxes, slapping on user fees, or privatizing city assets provides a more politically palatable safety valve as cities continue to see challenged balance sheets. However, this is highly dependent on the “best use” of the asset, and who exactly decides how the asset must be transformed into a more valuable entity. Are there specific assets that should be off-limits? Finally, how can city leaders build the political will in countries where this is yet to be implemented?
Topic:
Infrastructure, Budget, Urban, and Cities
Political Geography:
Global Focus

4. Unlocking the Potential of Civic Technology

Author:
Kris Hartley
Publication Date:
05-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Abstract:
According to IDC Research, aggregate worldwide investment in technology programs for cities reached $80 billion in 2018 and will reach $135 billion by 2021. The rise of information and communications technologies (ICT) has generated unprecedented opportunities for public engagement in urban policy and service delivery. Through a set of applications collectively known as civic technology (hereafter “civic tech”), increased public participation has the potential to deepen the democratization of urban governance and improve its responsiveness and accountability. As the digital revolution enables initiatives like smart cities and e-governance, safeguarding methods of democratic influence is a core strategic mandate for city governments wishing to politically legitimize technology. Pursuant to this issue, civic tech is distinguishable from smart cities and other urban technology programs in its focus on citizen empowerment. For this reason, it has the potential to go beyond the typical promises of efficiency gains – as peddled by standard technologies – and transform how citizens engage with policymakers.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Governance, Urban, and Cities
Political Geography:
Global Focus

5. Inclusive Urban Economic Development: A Framework For Action

Author:
Alaina Harkness
Publication Date:
05-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Abstract:
Cities are the world economy’s innovation hubs; with their dense concentrations of people, firms, talent, and other resources, they are the engines of economic growth and prosperity. Unfortunately, cities are also the home to severe economic inequality. As cities get larger, they tend to become more unequal; in all countries except for Canada, all metros with more than 500,000 people had levels of inequality well above the national average. Left unchecked, these growth patterns will deepen the global economic divide and could threaten the stability and vitality of both cities and nations. Can cities resolve these apparent (and seemingly fundamental) tensions between growth and inclusion?
Topic:
Development, Poverty, Economy, Economic growth, Urban, and Innovation
Political Geography:
Canada and Global Focus