ULI World Cities Forum Partners added greatly to the success of the event.

Issues surrounding the development of Smart/Green Cities are discussed.

Foreword

Cities can create a competitive advantage. Participants at the second World Cities Forum, held 17–19 April 2007, in Shanghai, wrestled with how emerging-market cities can achieve competitive advantage. They examined such issues as quality of life and benefits to the larger population, opportunities and prosperity, distinctive identity, and the public realm through the lens of the larger issues of global capital markets, sustainability, infrastructure, places of commerce, and civic leadership.

Building on the themes from the World Cities Forum I, held in June 2005 in London, WCF II used Shanghai as a learn- ing laboratory to better understand emerging markets worldwide, engaging participants in a dialogue about how Shanghai is creating its own competitive advantage. About 145 people from 14 countries came together to see firsthand some of the most ambitious and innovative development projects around Shanghai. East met West during the forum when participants from the public and private sectors compared notes about urban regeneration and planning strategies, presenting a unique opportunity to compare the Chinese planning framework with that of other countries.

The forum was structured around the following themes:

• the relationship between world cities and global capital markets;
• the importance of energy and the environment—as both a challenge and an opportunity;
• the role of infrastructure—an asset class for public and private investment and a powerful tool for shaping cities and their regions;
• the relationships among urban form, economic development, and quality of life; and
• the requirements for vision and leadership.

Forum participants grappled with the tension between economic growth and climate change—examining, in particular, the fears that the rising population of emerging-market countries and the desire of their people for a Western lifestyle will continue to foster global warming.

The Shanghai World Cities Forum 2007 was the second of a continuing series that is examining the issues that surround quality of life, community, and the public realm. The third World Cities Forum will be scheduled for mid-2008. For future plans and to see what transpired at the 2007 forum, visit the Web site at www.worldcitiesforum.org.