thumb|Sign denoting twin towns of [[Neckarsulm,
Germany]]
Sister cities, also known as
town twinning, is an agreement between
towns,
cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties. In the
United Kingdom the term
twin towns is most commonly used, generally referring to town-twinning with Europe, differentiating with the term
sister cities which is used for twinnings with the USA. In
Europe, a variety of terms are used; most commonly
twin towns, but
partnership towns,
partner towns and
friendship towns, are also used.
Germany uses
Partnerstadt (Partner Town/City),
France uses
Ville Jumelée (Twin Town/City).
North America,
South Asia,
Australasia and
Asia generally use the term
sister cities. In the former
Soviet Bloc countries twin towns is used, as well as the term
brother cities which is also used on occasion.
Sometimes other government bodies enter into a "twinning" relationship, such as the agreement between the
provinces of
Hainan in
China and
Jeju-do in
South Korea, or between
Chinatown, Washington, D.C. and
Beijing.
The
Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the
European Union.
Europe
thumb|Four twinning towns of [[Brzeg Dolny,
Poland]]
thumb|Los Angeles City Hall, and its signpost of Sister Cities
thumb|Banner at the Albuquerque's sister cities/" class="wiki">Albuquerque International Sunport listing
Albuquerque's sister cities
The earliest form of town twinning in Europe was between the German city of
Paderborn and the French city of
Le Mans in 836.
,
West Yorkshire,
England had a "sister cities" arrangement with
Suresnes and
Puteaux,
France starting in 1905. The first recorded modern twinning agreement was between Keighley and
Poix-du-Nord,
Nord,
France in 1920 following the end of
World War I.
This was initially referred to as an adoption of the French town, with formal twinning charters not being exchanged until 1986.
The practice was continued after the
Second World War as a way to bring European people into a closer understanding of each other and to promote cross-border projects of mutual benefit.
For example,
Coventry twinned with
Dresden as an act of peace and reconciliation, both cities having been heavily bombed during the war. Each twin city country is represented in a specific ward of the city and in each ward has a peace garden dedicated to that twin city.
Another early example of town twinning dates back to 1947 when
Bristol Corporation (later Bristol City Council) sent five 'leading citizens' on a goodwill mission to
Hanover.
Within Europe, town twinning is supported by the European Union.
The support scheme was established in 1989. In 2003 an annual budget of about 12 million
euros was allocated to about 1,300 projects. The
Council of European Municipalities and Regions also works closely with the Commission (DG Education and Culture) to promote modern, high quality twinning initiatives and exchanges that involve all sections of the community. It has launched a website dedicated to town twinning.
North America
The first city in North America to establish a sister city relationship was
Toledo, Ohio, United States, with
Toledo, Spain in 1931.
Vancouver,
British Columbia,
Canada was also a notable city to enter into an intercontinental twinning arrangement when, in 1944, it twinned with the
Ukrainian city of
Odessa, which at the time was part of the
Soviet Union. This was based on aiding the allied port city during the
Second World War.
Tashkent, an
Uzbek city, then part of the Soviet Union, was twinned with
Seattle, Washington in 1973 and became the first Soviet city to be twinned with one in the
US. Another first for town twinning occurred in 1967 when
Rochester, Minnesota and
Knebworth, UK teamed up to bring a primary medical research front.
The American sister cities program was initiated in 1956 by
President Dwight Eisenhower. It was originally administered as part of the
National League of Cities, but since 1967 it has been a separate organization,
Sister Cities International (SCI), which is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between U.S. and international communities in an effort to increase global cooperation at the municipal level, to promote cultural understanding and to stimulate private business and economic development. SCI leads the movement for local community development and volunteer action by motivating and empowering private citizens, municipal officials and business leaders to conduct long-term programs of mutual benefit.
Other meanings
The phrase "sister cities" is sometimes used to refer to cities without a formal agreement which have similar cultures and/or historical background, such as
Galveston, Texas and
New Orleans, two cities that were historically major Southern ports on the
Gulf coast. Another example is
Charleston, South Carolina and
Boston.
Criticism
The concept of sister cities has been criticized as an unnecessary and expensive endeavor for cities to take part in with little to no accountability or obvious signs of economic development resulting from the arrangement. Critics complain that politicians can use the sister cities as an excuse to take junkets.
See also
