On Thursday, April 25 the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Foresight initiative (SFI), of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, hosted a roundtable discussion with Dr. Tim Campbell, chairman of the board at the Urban Age Institute, Mr. William Cobbett, manager of Cities Alliance, Ms. Reta Jo Lewis, special representative for global intergovernmental affairs, US Department of State, and Dr. Jaana Remes, principal at McKinsey Global Institute, to discuss cities and the global governance challenge presented by urbanization.
Dr. Peter Engelke, resident senior fellow with the Strategic Foresight Initiative, Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council, moderated the group’s discussion. Among the key takeaways was the recognition that cities have entered the ranks of important non-state actors, and that while urbanization presents significant security questions – cities will be critical in solving global challenges.