With the majority of the world’s population living in urban areas, cities must learn to govern and manage in a way that mitigates the causes of, and vulnerabilities to, climate change and adapts to changes that have already occurred. To achieve lasting results, cities must have consistent access to leading practices and tools, and the capacity to implement them.
ICMA builds the capacity of local governments and their partners to find innovative ways to promote and finance appropriate solutions to climate change and other urban challenges, identify vulnerabilities, and design and implement preparedness, adaptation, and mitigation plans that improve the lives of community members.
CityLinks is ICMA’s flagship international program that facilitates partnerships among cities, municipal and professional associations, and other entities, to create opportunities for learning and to ultimately shape green and resilient cities. ICMA's CityLinks™ model enables municipal officials in developing countries and countries on the path to decentralization to draw on the resources of their U.S. counterparts. By matching cities facing similar issues, CityLinks creates the opportunity for them to jointly explore their issues and develop tailor-made solutions.
The model was formalized in collaboration with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1997, with the launch of a funded program. The current five-year CityLinks program was awarded in 2011, with the purpose of supporting the emergence of resilient cities that have the capacity to address the three challenges of climate change, food security, and access to water and sanitation. The program is currently gearing up for its year four activities. You can learn more about these activities through the CityLinks blog.