Honolulu Hosts Mayors from U.S. and Pacific Rim

By Michael Gagliardo

From January 29 to February 3, 1999, the City and County of Honolulu was the setting for a gathering of mayors, business leaders and other experts from all around the Pacific region. The mayors participated in the first China/US Mayors Conference, and the first Mayors Asia-Pacific Environmental Summit. In addition, planning for the 25th Japan-American Conference of Mayors and Chamber of Commerce Presidents, scheduled for Kitakyushu, Japan, in November 1999, took place.

The delegation of United States mayors participating in these sessions was led by Conference President Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini, and also included Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, Reno Mayor Jeff Griffin, Lynn Mayor Patrick McManus, Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill and Santa Monica Mayor Pam O'Connor. Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris hosted, and Co-Chaired the China/US Mayors Conference and the Environmental Summit.

Each of these meetings had a similar focus. Participants and organizers recognize that as the 21st Century approaches, the Asia-Pacific region will be the location of substantial growth, both in population and economic opportunity. The demands placed by this growth on the environment and natural systems could be catastrophic if the inhabitants of the region do not take action to ensure that growth occurs only in conjunction with protection and improvement of the environment.

The China-US Mayors Conference

When Honolulu Mayor Harris visited China in 1997, he discussed the possibility of organizing a conference of Chinese and United States Mayors with Beijing Mayor Jia Qinglin. The 1999 conference in Honolulu was the outcome of those and many other discussions between cities in both countries and the China Association of Mayors and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

The theme of the conference was "Building Livable and Economically Vibrant Cities for the 21st Century". The mayors, business representatives and others in attendance identified shared challenges and mutual problems faced by Chinese and U.S. cities and engaged in a dialogue designed to foster cooperative partnering in addressing these challenges. The overarching challenge will be to achieve both economic growth and improved quality of life for their residents. Cities need to be places where people want to live work and play in order to be successful. Cities must also reflect the values of their residents and present the unique character of their communities.

The over 100 attendees heard how both Chinese and United States Mayors are responding to the challenges facing their cities. Ambassador An Wenbin, Council General, People's Republic of China, agreed with Mayor Harris that the 21st Century would be a time when the attention of the world would be drawn to the Pacific region, especially the cities and mayors. Ambassador An noted that "mayors govern the sky, the earth and the people". Mayor Harris noted that the challenge to mayors is how will they carry out their responsibility for water, wastewater, solid waste, land use, housing, public safety, transportation, and all the other functions cities provide for their residents.

During the conference, the mayors discussed Urban Planning and Smart Growth, Urban Technologies and Smart Cities and Tourism and Economic Development, through a series of short presentations and "round-table" discussion. The challenges described by the Chinese Mayors and the United States Mayors were remarkably similar. Mayor Archer said that there is no Chinese or American way to pick up trash or keep streets clean and safe. Despite the similarities, the cultural differences between the U.S and China mean that leaders will many times take different ways to reach the same common goal.

The mayors agreed that meeting on a regular basis would be the best way to facilitate a continuing dialogue that will benefit both countries. To this end, the possibility of establishing a formal relationship between the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the China Association of Mayors was discussed. Mayor Corradini invited a delegation of Chinese Mayors to participate in the 67th Conference of Mayors in New Orleans. Vice Mayor Wang Guangtao and Mayor Harris noted that the conference was an exciting beginning to what both expected would be a long and productive relationship. Vice Mayor Wang offered to host the next China/US Mayors Conference in a Chinese city, possibly Beijing.

The Mayor's Asia-Pacific Environmental Summit

The Mayor's Asia-Pacific Environmental Summit brought together about 400 mayors, economists, environmentalists, business leaders and policy makers from the United States, Canada and the Pacific Rim. In total, 27 countries and 118 cities were represented.

The aim of the Summit was to focus attention on the population and economic growth expected in the Asia-Pacific region over the next decade. Attendees realize that environmental concerns will be a driving force in public policy through out the region. While the United States and some other countries are relatively mature in addressing environmental concerns, many areas of the region are only now beginning to identify the difficult public policy choices that lie ahead.

Summit participants heard from Vice President Al Gore (live, via satellite). The Vice President stressed the importance of cities and discussed a variety of issues that impact both the environmental quality and economic development of cities. He stressed that it is not only possible, but also essential to grow the economy and protect the environment.

Breakout sessions offered cities an opportunity to share their experiences in areas such as Energy Systems; Drinking Water and Sewerage Systems; Waste Management; Transportation Systems; Protection of Water Resources; and Financing Sustainable Development.

One of the mechanisms discussed for developing sustainable cities was the "Agenda 21", the Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (also known as the "Earth Summit"). Agenda 21 is a "blueprint" for sustainable development, which has been endorsed by 178 nations. Currently, more than 2000 local governments worldwide have undertaken a Local Agenda 21 planning process. Countries including the UK, Sweden, Australia, China and Japan have National Campaigns that help facilitate a sustainable development planning process at the local level. While Agenda 21 is one mechanism, the participants recognize that local governments need not formally participate in this program to plan for the sustainable development of their communities.