A globalist strategy for Calgary

Despite considerable – and successful – effort, for example on economic development, there appears no umbrella – in policy or administrative terms – to coordinate ALL of the range of international activities the city is engaged in, or could be engaged in – and which might involve the city in a broader globalist context. [...] This paper proposes a Globalist Calgary Strategy to provide an administrative and policy umbrella for these and future efforts, to encourage and coordinate the engagement of Calgary’s citizens in this expanded international effort, and to ensure the city’s global stances reflect coherent goals and maximize benefits, locally and globally. [...] Where London was the dominant world city at the turn of the 20th century, in the early 21st century London’s 12 million inhabitants rank approximately 21st on the list of the world’s largest cities. [...] Atlanta got closer to its modern and more successful brand as “Gateway to the Southeast,” an outgrowth of its earlier “Delta Connection,” then “Leapfrogging City,” and (like Calgary) “Heart of the Southeast.” After many of these efforts, Atlanta officials realized that the city would never be able to compete economically with the major northern cities of New York and Chicago, but Atlanta officials [...] The initial international strategy developed by Atlanta – and codified in a 1979 city ordinance14 – emphasized the likelihood of successful cultural, civic, educational, technical, economical and business linkages “on a continual basis.”15 The city based its international program on the “focus areas” of Sister Cities International (SSI), the United States umbrella organization for formal internati