Twin towns and sister cities
Twin towns and sister cities are municipalities that form partnerships to promote economic, cultural, and educational exchanges. The term "twin towns" is predominantly used in Europe, while "sister cities" is the preferred nomenclature in the United States. This initiative emerged in the aftermath of World War II as a means to foster reconciliation and rebuild relationships between nations devastated by the conflict. By establishing these connections, cities aimed to improve diplomatic relations, enhance cultural understanding, and support community development.
The process of twinning typically involves municipalities sharing similar political or economic goals, followed by formal agreements between city leaders, often mayors. Sister Cities International, founded in the United States in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, aimed to promote citizen diplomacy and cultural partnerships globally. Today, there are thousands of twin and sister city partnerships across approximately 150 countries, reflecting diverse connections based on shared industries, demographic ties, or even playful associations between city names. Overall, these relationships play a significant role in fostering global cooperation and cultural exchange.
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Twin towns and sister cities
Twins towns and sister cities are towns, cities, counties, provinces, or other municipalities that have been linked to other such regions for the purposes of economic, industrial, and cultural exchange. The term "twin towns" applies to this institution in Europe, while "sister cities" is used in the United States.
The idea of connecting various worldwide urban centers began as a reconciliation effort after the destruction caused by World War II in the 1940s. The initiative soon expanded, and in the twenty-first century, twin towns and sister cities exist on six continents and in almost every country in the world.
History of the Concept
The concept of linking certain towns and cities to one another originated in Europe after World War II. The conflict had decimated relations among Europeans across the continent, as nearly everyone now distrusted foreigners in neighboring countries. In this era, few European countries communicated with one another, and people rarely immigrated to or even visited nearby nations. Therefore, as a method of returning reconciliation and peace to post-war Europe, the idea of twin towns was conceived.
Forming direct relationships with foreign cities would produce numerous tangible benefits for Europeans. These included the reopening of diplomatic relations, new exchanges in educational opportunities and culture, and financial support in rebuilding infrastructure.
The process of becoming "twinned" with another city involved several steps. First, the municipalities interested in collaborating usually had to share some common political or economic goals. Once two such cities had expressed interest in cooperating, the leadership of each city communicated and produced an agreement detailing the intentions of their partnership. Finally, the two cities' highest-ranking officials, usually mayors, met to sign the formal agreement recognizing each city's obligations to the development of the other.
Europe's twin towns initiative performed well in its early years. The English city of Coventry, for example, which had sustained catastrophic bombing during World War II, twinned with the Soviet city of Stalingrad (present-day Volgograd, Russia), which had suffered similar destruction. Later, Coventry also partnered with Dresden, Germany, which had been bombed in the war as well.
United States Joins Effort
By the mid-1950s, the success of Europe's initiative had inspired the United States to involve itself in the effort. In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower created Sister Cities International. This organization would build cultural and economic partnerships among cities in America and around the world. Eisenhower hoped this friendly interaction of disparate peoples would help teach the global population to acknowledge its great diversity and possibly avoid another world war. He called this kind of interaction citizen diplomacy.
One of Sister Cities International's earliest successes was a trading partnership between Seattle, Washington, and Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo specifically had been chosen to pair with Seattle to show the United States' dedication to rebuilding American Japanese relations after World War II. Aside from trading commercial goods, the two cities also established firm educational and cultural exchanges. These facilitated travel between the two cities and over time helped to create a trusting relationship between the American and Japanese people.
Modern Twin Towns and Sister Cities
Sister Cities International, as well as Europe's own twin towns program, continued expanding for the rest of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century. By this time, the network of sister cities and twin towns around the world consisted of several thousand partnerships in more than 150 countries on six continents.
American cities can partner with as many foreign municipalities as they deem appropriate. In 2014, for instance, Chicago, Illinois, boasted twenty-eight sister city alliances, the most of any US city. These included partnerships with Amman, Jordan; Belgrade, Serbia; and Mexico City, Mexico. Chicago's diverse range of sister cities showed how people from different parts of the world become connected by the sister city and twin town institutions.
Mbabane, Swaziland, and Fort Worth, Texas
The sister city partnership between the cities of Mbabane, Swaziland, and Fort Worth, Texas, exemplifies the reach of the global sister city program. Fort Worth officials established relations with the Mbabane government in 2004. They had chosen the capital of Swaziland, located in southeastern Africa, for its traditional, old-fashioned African culture and values. Fort Worth soon built a health clinic in Mbabane and began sending annual humanitarian missions to the city.
Paderborn, Germany, and Le Mans, France
The cities of Paderborn, Germany, and Le Mans, France, officially established their city partnership in 1967. However, friendly collaboration between the cities dates to the ninth century C.E. In 836, the remains of Liborius, who had served as bishop of Le Mans in the fourth century, were carried hundreds of miles to his hometown of Paderborn for burial. This event opened amicable relations between the cities that survive in the present day.
Charleston, South Carolina, and Spoleto, Italy
One of the most notable results of the sister city agreement between Charleston, South Carolina, and Spoleto, Italy, is the Spoleto Festival USA. Held annually in Charleston for two and a half weeks, the festival features an assortment of art, dance, and musical events that display a mixture of American and Italian cultures.
Bibliography
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Kaplan, Miranda. "11 Surprising Pairs of Sister Cities." Mental Floss. Mental Floss, Inc. 11 Oct. 2013. Web. 1 Feb. 2016. http://mentalfloss.com/article/53064/11-surprising-pairs-sister-cities
Ledbetter, Carly. "What the Heck Is a 'Sister City' Anyway?" Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. 29 Sept. 2014. Web. 1 Feb. 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/29/what-are-sister-cities-anyway‗n‗5851650.html
"Mission and History." Sister Cities International. Sister Cities International. Web. 1 Feb. 2016. http://www.sister-cities.org/mission-and-history
Salomon, Alexandra and Kate Klocksin. "Sister Cities: Chicago's International Family." WBEZ 91.5. Chicago Public Media. 15 July 2014. Web. 1 Feb. 2016. http://www.wbez.org/series/curious-city/sister-cities-chicagos-international-family-110498
"What Is a Sister City?" Sister Cities International. Sister Cities International. Web. 1 Feb. 2016. http://www.sister-cities.org/what-sister-city