Thematic Round Tables and Parallel Sessions
A summary of a document on the global
landcape for intermediary cities (iCities) was presented.
levels to increase revenues. The Mayor of Chefchaouen highlighted the need to lobby donor agencies to fund key projects in intermediary cities. This is important because of the financial limitation of smaller cities and towns. Secondly, he emphasized the need for better management of planning and the importance given to “getting it right�. The speaker from UNESCO presented a summary of a document on the global landscape for intermediary cities (iCties). The document puts iCities at the centre approach, which is deemed necessary, given that the majority of people throughout the world live in intermediary cities. He stressed the importance of the link between iCities and the rural areas and the support they provide the hinterland. In this context he raised the question of how to manage urban/rural interaction to increase food production and secure land for development. They are less competitive than metropolitan areas and hence need to focus their attention on attractiveness, governance, and strategic planning. As a consequence dialogue, innovation and sustainability are important considerations. The delegate from Mozambique raised the important consideration that the majority of their funding comes from national government therefore new funding methods need
to be explored. He also indicated that iCities in developing countries need better planning. Luciano Rezende talked of the city supporting iCities in Mozambique on a peer-to-peer basis in the spirit of south to south collaboration. Supporting the delegate from Mozambique, he stressed the importance of statistics and information as necessary tools for planning and for raising property taxes. The nature of the collaboration with Mozambican cities is on building up their databases and generating statistics on the city. Mustafa Bozbey, Mayor of Nilufer, raised the importance of noting that globalization was bigger than any city or national government can address alone. He indicated that his city was the fastest growing city in Turkey. The city has many funding modes and 83% of revenue comes from their own sources, whilst the rest comes from the state. They encourage investment for job creation and work with funding agencies to develop new modes of funding. A member of the Spanish delegation highlighted the economic and social importance of iCities. They provide incentives (such as taxation) for businesses to stay in the city. For example, local tourism is growing in the city of Valladolid and they have decided to focus on gastronomy as their key tourism draw. They also have structure tax payment to taken the burden off citizens.
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