National League Of Cities' President Attends Conference On Sustainable Cities

MINNETONKA, Minn. -- NLC President Karen J. Anderson represented the United States and the National League of Cities at a world conference on urban sustainability in Stockholm, Sweden, in early June.

Anderson, who is mayor of Minnetonka, Minn. as well as president of the National League of Cities, spoke to a plenary session of the Stockholm Partnerships for Sustainable Cities on June 5 on the topic of "Responsible Governance for Urban Livelihoods."

The conference, which was organized by the city of Stockholm in collaboration with several international organizations, was attended by 400 delegates from local governments throughout the world.

In her speech, Anderson mentioned numerous innovations in U.S. cities and towns, including two Minnesota programs.

The first project she mentioned was work by the Green Institute, a nonprofit organization that seeks sustainable community development by creating living wages, improved quality of life and an enhanced environment in the Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis.

The second project, called 5Comm, is a partnership of five rural communities in Southwest Minnesota initiated by the cities of Lakefield and Okabena. This telecommunications project is building a high-speed wireless network and creating a "connected community" to provide technological benefits to individuals, businesses, schools, governments, healthcare providers, organizations and agricultural producers.

"It's been said that there is nothing that is wrong with America that can't be fixed by what is right with America," Anderson said in her remarks to the conference delegates. "I think that could be said by virtually any country and any community. There is no problem that can't be solved by leveraging or fostering the good that is already there waiting to be tapped. All it takes is the inspiration and ingenuity that we are witnessing and learning about at this event."

The conference highlighted 60 development projects from around the world that demonstrate innovative solutions for sustainable development in metropolitan areas. A final document from the conference will be sent to the United Nations World Summit in Johannesburg in September.

Anderson stayed in Stockholm as an invited guest of Stockholm's mayor, Carl Cederschiold, to examine programs and practices that could be transferred to the United States.

The Stockholm Partnerships for Sustainable Cities explores innovative solutions to the challenge of urban sustainability. -- The National League of Cities