Today was the 5th Annual Richard J. Daley Urban Forum, held at the University of Illinois @ Chicago (UIC). Entitled “Global Economic Recovery: Cities Lead the Way,” the forum kicks off a three day conference with mayors from around the world coming together to discuss issues peculiar to urban environments.

Chicago’s Mayor Daley began the event, delivering a powerful message about the key role cities play in driving the larger economies of their country’s governments. After Daley’s introduction, the nearly thirty international mayors in attendance were introduced and then a plenary panel got underway. The panel consisted of Mayor Daley; Michael Moskow, Senior Fellow, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs; Norbert Riedel, Corporate Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Baxter International; and Victoria Chou, Dean, College of Education, UIC. The group addressed the worldwide recession – with Moskow stating that he is not feeling optimistic about the big global challenges ahead, and further that recovery from this recession will be slower and more sluggish than past recessions. His bright spot – “… recessions always end – with a stronger country as a result.” He went on to say that the $782 billion stimulus package will provide some relief, but recovery must come from the private sector. Daley cited declining city revenues from income, sales, and property tax and the need for city administrations to think outside the box when devising solutions to the current economic situation. “This is an opportunity to rethink what government should be.” Riedel thinks that more partnerships between the business sector and universities, and innovation, are keys to sustainable economic recovery. Noting that many universities are in world class cities, Riedel urged attendees to consider how cities can be a commercial outlet for innovation within universities. Chou thinks an educated, trained workforce is key. Is the U.S. slipping behind other countries, in education of workforce? She would like to see more investment in the area of classroom instruction, including how to create rigorous and powerful curricula, how to strategically prepare teachers — a generations-long agenda that also focuses on longitudinal student databases that shows whether students are learning (she noted that this is addressed in stimulus package). Daley stated that President Obama understands that we have to also invest in human infrastructure and pointed out that former Chicago Public Schools chief and current U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, also is rethinking education and about what is best for students. How can we remain competitive without a highly educate workforce? The group summrized their discussion: A. Encourage private sector growth (need government help for this). B. Innovation is needed to inform national policy. C. Think in a global context.

After a short break, the international mayors joined in the conversation, providing diverse perspectives on the critical role cities play in a successful recovery from the worldwide economic recession. Attendees were provided headphones that translated the conversation into the language of their choice. Most of the mayors spoke briefly, detailing how the recession has affected their countries and how they are reacting to the situation. In Bogota, they are focusing on employment and creating jobs by investing $1.5 billion in infrastructure. Also, thanks to foreign investments they have not had to make serious budget cuts this year. Cartagena’s mayor spoke of her city’s emphasis on education and ensuring that the disadvantaged have access to science and technology and they have earmarked $150 million to finance higher education for the poorest members of society. Reykjavik’s mayor detailed how Iceland has been hit pretty hard, tho their long term prospects are positive. When the crisis struck Iceland, unemployment jumped from 1% to 9%. To work toward a solution, all of Reykjavik’s politicians, from all parties, came together to devise a solution, all parties committed to securing basic services, with no layoffs. They meet every week to refine their plan. Instead of laying people off, they decreased wages. The city council also took a 10% pay cut and the mayor took a 20% pay cut. In Galway, Ireland, they are focusing on the opportunities that can be grasped including cultural tourism to boost revenues, infrastructure spending to create jobs, and education to create a highly trained workforce. Many of the cities are taking similar kinds of steps.

Vice-President Joseph Biden concluded the proceedings with a short talk. He acknowledged the tough job city mayors have, making consequential decisions that affect the lives of thousands and said he was heartened to see Chicago’s skyline filled with construction cranes. He addressed the Obama administration’s progress in its first 100 days and the list of tasks they had accomplished or that are in progress, with the goal of moving the economy from recession to recovery to sustainable prosperity. Noting that the economic recovery plan was in the process of saving 4 million jobs, he pointed out that successful cities are a key element in the recovery, reinforcing the theme of the forum, that cities will lead the way to economic recovery. More information about the event is available here.