Invest in Bologna - promobologna - Local Development Agency

Bologna is set to host the 2009 edition of the Annual International Conference organized by Johns Hopkins University as part of their Urban Fellows Program. The conference aims each year to analyze certain crucial aspects of the development of one or two cities. The past four editions were held in Zurich (on the theme of administrative governance), Barcelona (on the theme of metropolitan development), Glasgow (on the theme of economic development) and Copenhagen (on the theme of housing policies). Traditionally around 30-40 former urban fellows gather at the conference to listen to presentations on the host city's economic and political characteristics and to express opinions and comment on the dynamics observed. The theme chosen for the 2009 edition of the conference is mid-sized cities. According to the American organizers, Bologna is "a European model of a mid-sized city characterized by development policies centered on urban infrastructure expansion, the value-added service industry and the cultural system" - International Herald Tribune (April 11, 2008).

The International Urban Fellows Program, developed in 1969, provides an opportunity each year for expert scholars and non-scholars to exchange views on comparative research projects on topics related to urban and local development. In the 39 years the program has been running, it has allowed architects, economists and sociologists, mainly from Europe, to gain a deeper understanding, through comparative analysis, of the problems and opportunities which characterize a city's development and the implications on policymaking that arise from tackling specific problems at the urban level.
The Program is one of the international initiatives organized by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies, located on the main University campus in Baltimore, Maryland (USA).