Press Releases
Istrian Officials in U.S. to Examine City Government Practices
For Immediate Release
January 14, 2005
Zagreb, Croatia, January 14, 2005 - Istrian city officials from Porec, Rovinj, and Umag are in the United States visiting their counterparts in the city of Port Townsend in the state of Washington from 14 to 22 January, 2005.
Istrian mayors and local officials will work with Port Townsend officials to develop practices and processes in urban planning, zoning enforcement, tourism sector development, and public-private partnerships. Participants will prepare draft development plans covering an array of local development issues.
This is the second time Istrian and Port Townsend officials have exchanged ideas about city governance. In October 2004, Port Townsend city representatives visited Istria. Over the next 18 months, two more exchange visits are planned.
These visits are part of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Local Government Reform Project, administered in Croatia by the Urban Institute. Pairing cities to work together on common issues is known as "twinning". The pairing of Port Townsend with Istrian cities was the first such Croatian-U.S. partnership. Since then, Buzet, Labin and Pazin have twinned with the U.S. Northeast Oregon Economic Development Coalition to exchange perspectives and experiences in local economic development. The City of Karlovac has forged a sound partnership with Kansas City, Missouri to improve public services and local government reform efforts. Dubrovnik will soon be linked with the City of Monterey in California.