A CityLinks partnership originates when a donor, or funding organization, identifies a need for assistance to address a municipal challenge in a developing or transitioning country. ICMA employs its CityLinks model to help cities create solutions to problems as varied as financial management and budgeting practices, traffic management, tourism development, and crime prevention. CityLinks partnerships address a wide range of urban issues, with a current emphasis on climate change adaptation and mitigation, food security, and access to water and sanitation services.

Working with the donor, ICMA analyzes the problem at hand, designs a program to address it, facilitates the selection of one or more cities in the host country, and identifies one or more U.S. partners with experience and expertise to share in the relevant technical area. U.S. and host country partners then undertake exchange visits and work together to develop realistic, practical approaches to the problem that will work in the local environment.

CityLinks partners can be cities, counties, consortia of local governments, nongovernmental organizations, professional associations, universities, private-sector organizations, and any other entity that has expertise to share with municipalities. Although most partnerships involve U.S. cities, as suggested above, ICMA has also facilitated partnerships between cities located in the same international region, through which the participants had the opportunity to learn about regionally tailored solutions and best practices.

ICMA facilitates the partnership activities, providing program management, consultation, and other support throughout the term of the project.

For information, contact Judit Deilinger at ICMA.

ICMA serves as the organizational "home" of the Smart Growth Network (SGN), a partnership of more than 35 organizations dedicated to the principles of smart growth and to fostering development policies that better serve the economy, community, and the environment. In this capacity, ICMA coordinates SGN membership, produces the SGN bimonthly newsletter Getting Smart!, and provides resource information and technical assistance to facilitate the implementation of smart growth in communities across the country.

Membership in the Smart Growth Network is now free! Now, anyone interested in smart growth can join SGN, and receive the bimonthly newsletter, participate in discussions on the SGN members listserv, get tips and useful information from the SGN Information Hotline, and get access to the members section of the SGN Web site at www.smartgrowth.org .

To sign up for your free membership, click on http://www.smartgrowth.org/sgn/join.asp or send an e-mail to smartgrowth@icma.org . Questions? Call the Smart Growth Network at 202/962-3623.