An interview with Leonel Correia da Silva, Mayor of Câmara de Lobos, one of the municipalities of Madeira, made me realize that the rapid influx of tourist traffic&investment can be a challenge even on remote, oceanic islands, as long as they are attractive to the world and sufficiently connected to it.

Roseto is a small city in the USA (PA) that surprised scientists in the 20th century. The mortality rate of its inhabitants, Italian migrants, was approximately 1/3 lower than the average. This phenomenon could not be explained for a long time.

As part of my travels in search of local development and inspirations for local & regional governments, I had the honor and pleasure of talking about Maltese local governments with the Acting President of Malta Prof. Frank Bezzina and with the Director General for Local Government in the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta, Natalino Attard

I stayed in Compton for a week. It has industry, but is known for crime and rap. According to the FBI, in 2010 it was the 8th most dangerous city in the USA.

It depends which one 🙂 When I came to Irvine, USA to meet its mayor James Gross, I thought – it’s rather like that.

The strategies of rural communes in Poland and other CEE countries are full of intentions to build new roads, sewage systems, community centers, low emission heating sources, public transit connections, etc. Great, these are the foundations of a good life and economy. But can you ask for more? Can innovative services, the most modern companies, high culture – like in big cities – make sense in the countryside?

This is Richard Young (center), founder and executive director of CivicLex, the NGO that is building Civic Health in Fayette County (KY, USA) so well that it is an argument for the United States House of Representatives 🇺🇸 to create a The Trust for Civic Infrastructure as part of groundbreaking modernization of United States Congress – reforms aimed at strengthening American democracy.

Cisco is a “ghost town” – an abandoned, small city in Utah, USA. Although I did not meet with its mayor (it was abandoned around 1990), it made a great impression on me.

Expo 2020 also offers opportunities to develop international local government contacts.

There are outstanding, world-class specialists in local development strategic governance. I spoke to another of them.