Cities, COVID-19, and International Development Cooperation: Challenges and Opportunities Chapter in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.In the twenty-first century, cities are prominent players on the international scene and have been considered to be a platform for development, increasing the standard of living for their residents. The emergence of COVID-19 signifies a critical challenge for the fight against poverty, the increase in the quality of life, the development of the world population, and the reputation of multilateralism to overcome global problems. In this unexpected context, cities have been at the center of the pandemic, but at the same time, cities can be a fundamental part of the solution. In this article, we analyze the evolution of cities in the international arena to rethink how cities can be a relevant international actor boosting the International Development Cooperation (IDC) in a postpandemic world. The starting point is that the COVID-19 outbreak increases the importance of cities in solving global problems through building or reinforcing international networks to overcome the crisis. During the pandemic, many cities have not only responded in an agile, flexible, and adequate manner, but have also woven international collaboration networks to share knowledge and give and receive international aid. In this sense, the actions of cities in the field of international cooperation were a valuable tool to increase the capacity of cities to be resilient. Also, we analyze the traditional role of cities in the architecture of IDC, showing that cities are not newcomer actors on the international scene. Additionally, we discuss sustainable cities and communities as a specific goal of the Sustainable Development Goals as a result of the recognition of their value as important actors for achieving many of the objectives of sustainable development. Finally, we conclude with a series of recommendations on how cities can contribute to the development path from the new environment caused by the pandemic.

publication date

  • January 1, 2021