World City Network Meeting

Cities are sites of production, consumption, trade and finance, political and social interactions, culture and art, innovation, and reproduction. There is no doubt that cities are also significant actors in domains where national governments and international organizations operate. At the same time, cities are re-emerging as actors capable of assuming significant roles to address challenges caused or left unresolved by nation-states and supranational organizations.

It is emphasized that the current era is the “age of cities.” Just as cities compete with each other through the value they generate and their ability to influence capital flows, they also create significant opportunities for their respective countries in the international arena. Additionally, in the face of international tensions, exclusion, discrimination, and xenophobia stemming from political reasons, city diplomacy stands out as an effective tool for eliminating or mitigating their effects. In this context, the increased involvement of mayors and cities as diplomatic actors is increasingly recognized as one of the primary steps toward achieving solutions.

It is important that the vast amount of data generated about cities through the influence of technology and innovation is transformed into meaningful datasets that enable analysis and comparison, and that these datasets are structured in a way that facilitates collaboration and the development of solutions. On the other hand, numerous urban comparison frameworks remain operational; however, these systems need to be updated with new information, approaches, and policies, alongside the development of new databases aligned with emerging needs.

In this context, World City Network Meeting examines inter-city relations at both global and regional scales from various perspectives, including globalization, urban image, real estate markets, and the production of urban space. It also touches upon topics that hold significant importance in urban network studies, such as qualitative and quantitative research approaches, urban data collection and visualization, and data-based frameworks for evaluating cities.