What is CityLinks
The CityLinks™ model was designed by ICMA as a way to enable municipal officials in developing and decentralizing countries to draw on the resources of their U.S. counterparts to find sustainable solutions tailored to the real needs of their cities. It was formalized in collaboration with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1997 with the launch of a funded program, known at the time as Resource Cities.
Based on the success of Resource Cities, USAID awarded ICMA a new program with the CityLinks name in 2003 and the current five-year City-to-City Partnerships cooperative agreement—now known as CityLinks—in 2011.
This website is for the most recent program: CityLinks 2011-2016. CityLinks leverages the experience and expertise of ICMA’s membership of 9,000 local government chief administrators and their professional staffs. It is based on the premise that well-managed cities are the key to efficient service delivery, economic growth, sound management of resources, and political stability.
U.S. cities offer a great many models for provision of sound water supply and sanitation services, and CityLinks facilitates partnerships between professionals from these cities and their counterparts who are seeking solutions for cities in developing countries.
The CityLinks Water and Sanitation Knowledge Network is a platform for sharing information on news, events, publications and job postings.
