October 31 is”"World Cities Day,” and this year’s theme is "Inclusive Cities, Shared Development.”
On December 27, 2013, a United Nations General Assembly committee adopted a resolution, designating October 31 of every year, beginning in 2014, as “World Cities Day.” The U.N. hopes it will promote the international community’s interest in global sustainable urbanization, and enhance cooperation among countries to find opportunities and tackle challenges.
China is undergoing rapid urbanization and had a key role in creating this international day. The theme of the Shanghai Expo was “Better City – Better Life,” a dream for many people.
There are many pressing issues facing cities across the world, such as how to transform economic growth patterns in urban areas; how to tackle traffic problems in big cities; how to improve the environment; and how to preserve cultural heritage in a rapidly-developing city.
Shanghai is China’s financial capital, and it hopes to find answers to these questions. The Shanghai Municipal government, together with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, established a Research Institute on city management and governance.
“We hope to share the experiences in city management and city governance. We find that more and more international organizations and countries are paying great attention to China’s method of city management,” said Jiang Sixian, Vice Chairman, Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committe.
The Chinese government hopes to promote the exchanges of ideas among mega cities.
“Major cities in different countries can share their experiences in tackling the challenges such as population, environmental protection, security, and emergency management,” Jiang said.
Today, a series of events and seminars is being held in many major cities in different countries. It is an important contribution by China in promoting urban sustainable development around the world.