Cardiff Council leader Rodney Berman due to speak at a conference today looking at how cities can succeed during the recession.
The conference, entitled ‘OPENCities and Economic Recovery: Why city openness matters during recession’, is taking place at the European Economic and Social Committee / Committee of the Regions in Brussels.
The conference is the culmination of the OPENCities project, which began in 2009, and has seen ten European cities work closely to explore how diverse populations can contribute towards their city’s success.
The OPENCities conference will look at the highlights of the project, and provide pointers to city leaders, professionals and citizens on the value of open cities in the new global context. There will be over 150 delegates in attendance, representing European cities and regions as well as Latin America, North America and Asia.
Over the past three years a variety of OPENCities projects have take place in Cardiff. These have included:
- Research by international students at UWIC into what makes Cardiff an attractive place to live and work.
- A project by the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust to welcome new international migrants to the city, and get their views on attending their first ever Cardiff City game.
- An international workshop in Cardiff attended by the cities of Belfast, Bilbao, Bucharest, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Madrid, Nitra, Sofia, Poznan, Vienna looking at the role of local leaders in developing an ‘open city’, including a visit to St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School to see the positive impact embracing a diverse population can have on children.
- The soundtrack for Cardiff song contest held in conjunction with Capital FM (formerly Red Dragon FM) and the Swn festival, where Joseph Evans song ‘City Of Change’ was chosen as the sound of an open city.
- Cultural workshops held in the city’s Old Library where local college students explored what an ‘open city’ meant for them.
- Promoting cohesive communities through participation in the Active Citizens’ project.
Councillor Berman said: “Cardiff is a city that has been shaped by its migrant populations and is proud to be recognised as one of the UK’s first multicultural cities. Cardiff Council is keen to promote the city as a welcoming and attractive location for people and this conference will be very helpful in meeting the challenges that Cardiff faces in its ambition to be an open city – open to trade, investment, companies, events, people and ideas.
“Being an open city is an important part of Cardiff’s economic future, and it is important that we can attract the businesses, investment and skills that compliment our own strengths to become the internationally competitive capital we aspire to be.”
Councillor Berman will be attending the conference with two Cardiff Council officers. His travel and costs are being funded by URBACT, a European exchange and learning programme, while the officer costs are being paid for the British Council.
