City Diplomacy

Cities across the world are increasingly poised – and being called upon – to play a greater role in addressing challenges at the international level, from climate change and immigration, to the health and security of citizens. This initiative will provide a framework for creating the first-of-its-kind capacity-building program for effective city diplomacy. 

CPD Publications, Analysis, & Multimedia

Xavier University's Shearon Roberts explores how Black women elected officials are reframing our understanding of public diplomacy.

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CPD Senior Research Specialist Sohaela Amiri describes a new analytical tool for policymakers.

Image via iStock

This issue of CPD Perspectives is an article on city diplomacy by CPD Research Fellow Joel Day.

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CPD Research Associate Sohaela Amiri recaps the latest CPD roundtable of city leaders convening about the future of their global engagement.

CPD Research Fellow Jennifer Hubbert applies an anthropological lens to the research of urban paradiplomacy.

As we take a moment to reflect on our contributions to the field of city diplomacy, we share the must-read pieces published in the past year by the CPD research network.

November 25, 2020

Robert Banks summarizes findings from a city diplomacy roundtable sponsored by CPD.

Joel Day discusses how city diplomacy might be used to address issues of policing reform and racial justice

Image of "City Diplomacy:

Don't miss "City Diplomacy: Current Trends and Future Prospects," a new book edited by CPD Research Associate Sohaela Amiri and Efe Sevin of Towson U.

CPD Faculty Fellow Diana Ingenhoff and co-author Bruno Asdourian share insights from their study analyzing mayoral messages.

L.A. Deputy Mayor for International Affairs Nina Hachigian & Brookings Institution Sr. Fellow Anthony Pipa share the latest thinking on cities' growing role in multilateral negotiation.

CPD Director Jay Wang & CPD Research Associate Sohaela Amiri on the recent convening of U.S. city leaders on the front line of international cooperation.

"To succeed in their global missions, cities, their home states and the federal government all have work to do," writes Kyle Hutzler of McKinsey & Co.

Read this re-post from Foreign Policy on cities' leadership in global initiatives, which are opening the path from Mayor's Office to Oval Office.

Read this re-post from Foreign Policy, where Ambassador Nina Hachigian examines how urban centers can take international relations into their own hands. 

A paper by CPD Director Jay Wang and CPD Research Associate Sohaela Amiri outlining the necessary skills, capabilities, and resources required for cities' emergent role on the global stage.

Watch an exclusive video from CPD's conversation with Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. 

CPD-MOIA Summer Associate Daniel Toomey recounts his internship experience at the Los Angeles Mayor's Office of International Affairs. 

On U.S. cities' unique position to promote American values and advance leadership on the international stage.

Examining the global reach of city-level tech adoption, from drones to self-driving cars.

In his piece for the Soft Power 30 report, Joel Day looks at how the City of San Diego is working to create a global brand.

Photo by InfiniteThought via Pixabay
March 8, 2018

Sohaela Amiri discusses cities' expanding roles at the global negotiating table, from climate change, to winning hearts and minds and beyond. 

Varun Soni explains LA's religious diversity

Varun Soni, USC Dean of Religious Life, on LA's massive diaspora as an incubator of global religion and a driving force for the city's growing relevance on the world stage.

The latest issue of Public Diplomacy Magazine highlights city diplomacy as cities expand their national and international roles.

January 30, 2017

CPD spoke to the Los Angeles Mayor about the rise of global cities.

Events, Conferences & Workshops

Los Angeles City Hall and Sister Cities

Join the Hague Journal of Diplomacy (HJD) and CPD for a webinar to coincide with the launch of HJD’s special issue on city diplomacy.

Sister Cities International Chairman & San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg shares views on how cities are adapting, forging new connections and joining the evolving playing field of international relations and diplomacy.

CPD and L.A. Mayor's Office for International Affairs hosted the 2nd summit on city diplomacy November 14.

On September 10, CPD welcomed the Mayor of Paris for a private discussion on climate change, the state of city diplomacy and the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

CPD in partnership with the L.A. Mayor's Office for International Affairs hosted a summit on City Diplomacy this April addressing challenges facing U.S. cities on the global stage.

Juan de Lara, Thomas Gustafson, and Varun Soni examined what makes Los Angeles global from a range of perspectives, including faith, race, class, literature, and pop culture.

An interactive day of voices and dialogue.

Related CPD Research Projects

Principal Investigator:
Joel Day, CPD Research Fellow 2019-21

CPD's latest paper by Director Jay Wang and Research Associate Sohaela Amiri outlines key considerations for U.S. cities to grow their capacity framework.

January 30, 2018

As geopolitics and economies shift toward the Pacific Rim, Los Angeles is ideally situated to play a key role in addressing common regional and global challenges.

With over half of humanity living in urban settlements, the role of cities in defining the parameters of everyday life is an undeniable influence. This project was designed to illustrate how global cities interact with global governance, particularly in the Climate Leadership Group or ‘C40.’ 

This project drew on the ‘cosmopolitan turn’ in social thought to reconsider city diplomacy in spatial terms, including urban planning, architecture and network theory.