Sister Cities Department

LINKING DETROIT TO THE WORLD

City of Detroit International Relations and Sister Cities Relationships
International relations for the City of Detroit will provide the mechanism to position the Detroit as a leader and innovator in the global arena.  The international relations strategy will create the blueprint for actions and positions in regard to global matters. The strategy also will create a platform for the City of Detroit and Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick in terms of attracting new residents and businesses, development, and communications regarding the city internationally.

Key objectives for the City of Detroit’s International relations strategy are:

• To ensure consistency and alignment between the City of Detroit’s international relations strategy and the strategic priorities.
• To promote a corporate and focused approach to international activities within the City of Detroit and with its partners.
• To foster an integrated and synchronized approach to our international relations between governments, our communities, the business sector, stakeholders, and the academic community in order to capitalize on existing assets and synergies.

As the City of Detroit works to shape its strategic direction for international relations, the key elements include:

• Investment and Trade
• Innovation and Education
• International Development
• Corporate Peering
• International Image and Reputation
• Sister Cities Programs

In order to truly make Detroit a globally recognized entity, Detroit must align itself with cities and countries of like vision, size, structure, and industry.  A perfect mechanism to establish Detroit as a global entity is the Sister Cities Program.  In past years, Detroit has not leveraged and utilized sister city relationships effectively to stimulate economic development for the city of Detroit.

A Brief History of Detroit’s Sister Cities Relationships:

• First relationship established in 1960 with Toyota City, Japan.
• Newest relationship with Dubai Municipality in 2002.
• Two most successful relationships under the Kilpatrick Administration

Toyota City, Japan

• Toyota City is Detroit’s most active sister city relationship, dating back to September 1960.  In 1965, the city of Detroit and Toyota established an annual student exchange program.  The exchange provides students from both countries the opportunity to experience the lifestyles and culture of their sister city counterparts while cultivating cultural and ethnic tolerance.  Detroit high school students visit Toyota in even-numbered years, while Toyota high school students visit Detroit in odd-numbered years.  However the next student exchange will not occur until July 2006 when the Toyota students will visit the city of Detroit.
• To learn more on how you can participate as a host family for these students, please contact Tylitha Stewart in the Mayor’s Office-Strategic Management Center at (313) 224-4589.

Dubai, UAE

• As the central port to North Africa and the Middle East, Dubai is uniquely situated as the hub of major trade efforts in that region of the world similarly to Detroit’s unique placement on the Detroit River and as a major entry and exit point for trade between the United States and Canada.  Because of this and the Detroit region being home to the largest population of Arabs outside of the Middle East, the two cities have become sister cities to forge partnerships and alliances between two very different worlds.
• Solidified in 2003 during the Arab Economic Summit, the relationship between the City of Detroit and Dubai Municipality has yielded several visits between the two cities and Detroit’s participation in the Dubai Sister Cities Forum. The affiliation is a tool to showcase Detroit to the world.
• To find out more about the Detroit/Dubai relationship, contact Tylitha Stewart in the Mayor’s Office-Strategic Management Center at (313) 224-4589.

     
The City of Detroit has formal sister city relationships with five other municipalities:

• Turin, Italy
• Minsk, Belarus
• Kitwe, Zambia
• Nassau, Bahamas
• Chonqing, China

None of these relationships have been active in the last ten years.

As the City of Detroit develops its Sister Cities relationships, potential partnerships will range from peer relationships to mentors for the city of Detroit.  It is important that all relationships have the potential to be sustained in years to come.

The selection criteria will focus on key factors inclusive of population size and density, economic development opportunities, other strategic alliances, and the municipalities’ growth strategy.

It is recommended that new relationships be established with cities that can strategically provide a mutually beneficial relationship focused on economic development, cultural exchange, and targeted business opportunities for Detroit-based and headquartered companies.  Additionally, it is important that each of the proposed relationships be measured and evaluated using the established criteria and overall economic impact on the city of Detroit.

How can you be a part of the Sister Cities Program?

Currently the only community component of the Sister Cities Program involves the Toyota City exchange.  If you will be a high school student between the ages of 15 and 18 during the summer of 2007 and are interested in spending a summer in Toyota City, please feel free to contact Tylitha Stewart for more information on how to prepare for the application process.  Additionally, if you are someone who is interested in participating as a chaperone or you are interested in becoming a host family for the 2006 group traveling from Japan, please contact our office.


Sister Cities International

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