Global Municipal Leaders Join Business, Civic, Academic and Foundation Leaders to Exchange Strategies on How Public-Private Partnerships Drive Urban Innovation at 2010 Richard J. Daley Global Cities Forum

CHICAGO, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders of more than 100 cities and local governments will assemble in Chicago, along with prominent business, civic, academic and foundation leaders for discussions on key urban issues at the sixth annual Richard J. Daley Global Cities Forum (Daley Forum), held in conjunction with the executive meetings of the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).

Entitled "New Partnerships for a New Economy: Driving Innovation in Cities," this year's Daley Forum will foster a dialogue on the role of public-private partnerships as a key tool to help municipal leaders continue to deliver innovative programs and services in these challenging economic times.

The Daley Forum, held at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), has annually drawn more than 2,200 registrants from the private, civic and academic communities. The Forum represents an important collaboration between Chicago Sister Cities International, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Daley family to honor the legacy of Richard J. Daley.

"The Richard J. Daley Forum provides an opportunity for mayors from around the nation and the world to exchange ideas and information -- and to collaborate with experts and the private sector on major issues of the day," said Mayor Richard M. Daley. "We are thrilled this year to have UCLG bring their international perspective on local government to these important topics. By coming together, sharing innovative ideas and unleashing our entrepreneurial spirit and imagination, cities can help lead our nations to a healthy economic recovery. During good economic times and bad, cities have always been on the front line of innovative thinking. Now, because of the worldwide economic recession, cities are reinventing themselves and their economies with new ideas to help create jobs for both now and in the future," said Daley. "This Forum allows municipal leaders to share best practices and generate new ideas."

The Daley Forum kicks off with high-level leaders gathering for private discussions Monday, April 26 followed by a public symposium Tuesday, April 27. Concurrently, UCLG will hold its Executive Bureau Meeting, covering issues such as the creation of a task-force for the local governance reconstruction in Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake, identifying the key components of innovative strategic planning for the cities of the future and evaluating outcomes of the global report on the state of local finances around the planet. Chaired by Mayor Bertrand Delanoe of Paris, UCLG is the largest local government organization in the world. The organization represents more than half the world's population and is in 136 UN Member States across all world regions.

"In a world where half the population lives and works in cities, most global challenges will need local solutions," said Mayor Bertrand Delanoe of Paris. "We are particularly happy to join our colleague and friend Mayor Daley in his city to ensure that the lessons we have learned are properly shared and to promote together new solutions for a sustainable future; a future where North American cities should have a stronger voice through their active involvement in the international movement."

The Daley Forum at UIC has become a prominent annual international symposium about the future of cities. As a result of the Forum and ongoing efforts by Mayor Daley, Chicago has become a key gathering place for leaders to discuss challenges affecting urban areas across the world.

"UIC has a commitment to improving the quality of urban areas around the world, and we are proud to once again host this important Forum," said Dr. Paula Allen-Meares, Chancellor of UIC. "As Chicago's only public research university, it is UIC's role to serve as a forum for candid and rigorous debate and the exchange of ideas about important public issues, including globalization and urbanization."

During the private meeting on April 26, municipal leaders will participate in summit-style discussions and share their public-private partnership experiences and successes in roundtable discussion sessions. Conversations will address:

• Rethinking infrastructure in a time of financial challenge and technological change: Mayors and experts will discuss how to re-think and re-invest in local infrastructure in order to create stronger neighborhoods, build more efficient transportation systems, make more environmental improvements, and invest in better technology.  
• Making our cities safe: Mayors and experts will discuss innovative partnerships designed to help reduce crime and build stronger, safer communities. Discussion will focus on new public safety challenges, especially as more sophisticated networks have evolved around trafficking of gangs, weapons and drugs.

The public symposium on April 27 will feature discussions among municipal and business leaders, policymakers, leading scholars and commentators from around the world, to address the following topics:

• Rebooting the economy with a premium on talent: Panelists will discuss innovative partnerships involving cities and diverse sectors that are helping to enhance human capital and create good jobs.  
• Recapturing the value of local assets: Panelists will highlight examples of cross-sector partnerships that have capitalized on a city's own unique natural resources or assets and, in turn, attracted and generated new local economic value and growth.

Participating cities include: Abu Dhabi, Bogota, Amman, Columbus, Dakar, Detroit, Doha, Florence, Galway, Guadalajara, The Hague, Hamburg, Istanbul, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kathmandu, Kyiv, Mexico City, Montreal, Moscow, Oklahoma City, Osaka, Paris, Philadelphia, Prague, Quebec City, Reykjavik, Riga, Rochester, Shenyang, Vilnius, Warsaw and others.

The public symposium will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $25. Students from UIC and all other schools, plus UIC faculty, will be admitted free of charge. Visit http://www.uic.edu/orgs/daleyforum/forum/ to register. All attendees must register in advance.

The Richard J. Daley Global Cities Forum thanks the following sponsors for their generous support: Abbott, ADM, American Airlines, Ariel Mutual Funds; AT&T; Baxter; BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois; The Boeing Company; Chicago Bulls; Chicago White Sox; Citi; Exelon; Grosvenor Capital Management L.P.; UIC Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement; JACOBS; JMB Realty Corporation; JN Pritzker Tawani Foundation; The John Buck Company/John Buck International; Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP; McCormick Foundation; Microsoft; Morgan Stanley; Motorola; Siebert, Brandford, Shank and Co., LLC.; and The Rise Group.

History of the Richard J. Daley Global Cities Forum

The Forum is named for current Mayor Richard M. Daley's late father, Richard J. Daley, who served as mayor of Chicago from 1955 until his death in 1976. Richard J. Daley was a major figure in American national politics throughout his career. At the center of interest for the Forum are the issues that concerned him during his life and that concern government leaders, urban policy-makers and scholars to this day. For more information and to view videos from previous forums, please visit www.uic.edu/orgs/daleyforum

SOURCE Richard J. Daley Global Cities Forum