Sponsored jointly with the city of Yangzhou and the ICMA China Center, ICMA’s first International Regional Summit. May 11-15, attracted 200 people from eight countries.

According to ICMA Executive Director Robert J. O’Neill Jr. “The summit was an opportunity for ICMA members, U.S. cities, and ICMA as an organization to engage in dialogue with professionals from eight countries and to strengthen ties with China. It represented a significant step forward for the ICMA China Center as it continues to develop a program of exchanges, research projects, conferences, and publications.” And it provided a forum to debut ICMA’s Life, Well Run video with subtitles in Mandarin—reinforcing the power of professional management worldwide.

Participants included ICMA President Simon Farbrother, city manager, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, who provided the opening address; ICMA Executive Director O’Neill, who presented a keynote highlighting ICMA’s sustainability activities; and ICMA International Committee chair Clay Pearson, city manager, Pearland, Texas, who provided an overview of local governance in the United States.

The summit also served as the venue for the annual spring meeting of the ICMA International Committee. The event advanced the committee’s priority to increase awareness and interest in professional management worldwide and to continue expanding ICMA’s international network. Like the U.S.-based regional summits, it provided a forum for professional development as well as an opportunity to conduct regional business. The committee was instrumental in providing John Garvey Scholarship funds that enabled two young professionals to attend the summit.  

An ICMA Training Base in China

At the summit, ICMA formalized two agreements that advance the organization’s acceptance as a training partner in China—a goal ICMA has pursued for several years. A memorandum of understanding with the city of Yangzhou established that city as a training base for the ICMA China Center. ICMA will provide training for Chinese municipal officials, including those in the city of Yangzhou, and will assist the city in accessing management best practices and establishing partnerships and exchanges with cities represented by ICMA’s members and international affiliates.

A second agreement, with CUPL, seeks to further the Chinese government’s mission to fund collaboration by leading Chinese universities with other institutions to foster innovation. Contingent on a grant to the university’s Center for Cooperative Innovation for Governance by Law (CCIGL), the partnership will provide opportunities for exchanges by professors, researchers, students, and interns from both countries as well as joint conferences and publications.

Professional Dialogue

The summit offered opportunities for professional dialogue between ICMA members and Chinese government officials and academia. For example, a forum on “Urban Governance in the Backdrop of China’s New Urbanization,” facilitated by Chang Baoguo of CUPL, focused on research papers that surveyed Chinese urbanization as compared to international practice. Among the presenters was William Monahan, city manager, Milwaukie, Oregon.

Summit participants visited a low-carbon community in the center of Yangzhou that features green technology solutions and meets the highest standards of energy efficiency.

U.S.-China EcoPartnerships

As a participant in the U.S. Department of State’s EcoPartnerships program, the ICMA China Center is committed to fostering cooperative relationships between U.S. and Chinese entities that work together to promote economic growth, energy security, and environmental sustainability.

During the summit, three U.S. cities and their Chinese counterparts (Greenville, Wisconsin, and Hangji Town; Milwaukie, Oregon, and Gongdao Town of Gaoyou City; Austin, Texas, and Yizhen City) formalized EcoPartnerships pledging “friendly cooperation” over an 18-month period to share best practices, exchange technical knowledge and strategies, and foster innovation in seeking solutions to environmental challenges relating to urbanization and sustainable development. The partners will develop and carry out work plans through electronic communication and reciprocal city-to-city visits.

Study Tours and Educational Opportunities

To enrich the experience, the ICMA China Center offered pre- and post-summit study tours combining visits to historical and cultural sites with professional meetings in Chinese cities.

Before the summit, 47 participants visited the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and other landmarks in Beijing. They also toured the Zhongguancun Science Park (known as Z-Park) to view its science exhibits.

The pre-summit tour included a seminar on “Governance by Law” at CCIGL. The seminar explored the similarities and differences between the Chinese and U.S. local government systems and management techniques. In addition, the discussion highlighted the issue of illegal building and construction in China, which has been a significant challenge for Chinese cities in recent years.

The seminar was opened by Professor Ma Huaide, vice president of CUPL, and closed by Judit Deilinger, director of new initiatives, ICMA. It included presentations by four ICMA members: W. (Lane) Bailey, city manager, Lenoir, North Carolina; Edwin C. Daley, project administrator, Emporia, Virginia; Edward Fraser, director of Finance and Corporate Services, Central Desert Regional Council, Northern Territory, Australia; and Christopher Heineman, Community Planning and Development director, Northfield, Minnesota.

Two study tours were offered after the summit: One to Wuxi, Hangzhou, and Shanghai and a second to Xi’an and Shanghai.