Globally connected cities are the future

The recent US election saw millions of voters embrace President elect Donald Trump's vision of a more isolationist United States. For the next four years it will be America First on everything from climate to migration policy.

I profoundly disagree with the direction the world's most powerful democracy has taken, but Trump's second term does raise some interesting questions about the role of cities and whether we can take a different approach to create change both within and without our national borders.

We explored some of these at our 'Diplomacity' event with Centre for Cities the other week. 

Coinciding with World Cities Day, I joined Mayor of Freetown Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE and deputy mayor of Bologna and former secretary general of Eurocities Anna Lisa Boni for a wide-ranging conversation around the growing international role of cities and city networks. 

We all agreed that there has been a growing trend towards city to city international co-operation over recent years. As national governments have found themselves paralysed by perma-crises, cities are stepping into the space and delivering, particularly around climate. 

And local leaders are far better to implement behaviour change than national figures who often appear remote and out of touch. There is always a moral case for giving mayors and others more power to make change on behalf of their citizens.

Where better to do this than cities, where two thirds of the world’s population will live by 2050?

But there is still work to do to get these messages through to national leaders who want to control responses from the centre.

That is partly why Core Cities UK formed Urban 7, a group of city networks from G7 nations, which is currently trying to become a formal part of the G7 process. It's also why we work closely with a range of organisations like Eurocities, C40 and ICLEI.

Urban 7 is one of a plethora of city networks and we all agreed that sometimes navigating these can be confusing, but what is striking about them is their ability to find causes that they can unite upon.

As Anna Lisa said: "Cooperation is in cities’ DNA, it is a part of who we are."

Despite austerity and Brexit, the Core Cities have continued with their international outreach over recent years. We even met with Michele Barnier as part of the Brexit negotiations in 2018.

And our cities continue to be known across the world for their sports teams, film locations and heritage. In 2017 my own city of Cardiff hosted the Champions League Final, that year’s most watched sporting event.

Regardless of national election results in other countries, we will remain committed to the principles of international cooperation.