International City Development Policy Conference for developing Alexandria
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Alexandria — Alexandria Governorate, in collaboration with Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, World Bank & Cities Alliance, and Bibliotheca Alexandrina, is organizing the International City Development Policy Conference Under the theme of Alexandria city development strategy: Creating tools for local economic development, 20–21 March 2006.
Dr. Ismail Serageldin, director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, announced that Alexandria, with a population of 3.98 million inhabitants, is facing the several challenges for improving the living conditions of the population; 30% live in squatter settlements; only 25% of city population is active in the labor market; and there are severe environmental problems. At the same time there are huge development potentials, and a large vacant land to address the pressure of urbanization.
In this context, Alexandria is planning a two-day international knowledge transfer in the field of LED strategies. This is the aim of this policy conference, in which a pool of relevant case studies from the international scene has been selected in order to interchange experiences with the local stakeholders. The first day will be mainly devoted to presentations and discussions with a selected number of European cities [Barcelona, Lisbon, Lyon, Turin and Seville].
In the second day, four thematic working groups will allow to go deeper into the operation of the Alexandria City Development Strategy. Presentations and discussions will be focused not on the analysis but on tools. This includes the city development agency model, public-private partnerships, business cluster development strategies, onward and foreign direct investment, urban redevelopment and critical investment projects as catalysts of economic development, city marketing and branding.
The conference will provide an excellent opportunity for development institutions in Alexandria, the private sector, professionals and citizens to debate the future development of the city and discuss with international partners the potential functions that the city can play in the Mediterranean basin.