2017: 35 years of town twinning

In 2017, the city partnership Between Zurich and Kunming celebrates its 35th anniversary. The fact that the cooperation works so well is by no means a matter of course, as two very different worlds or cultures meet in many respects. The mutual effort to understand each other's ways of thinking and working is an important prerequisite for such a partnership to be successful.

Together for sustainable urban development

Kunming and Zurich have been twinned since 1982. What began as a cultural exchange gradually developed into a technical cooperation. In 1987, the first cooperation took place in the field of drinking water and wastewater disposal. In 1993, this cooperation was extended to include transport and urban and regional development, and the area of monument protection is also a focal point today. All activities within the framework of the town twinning are summarized under the overall goal of sustainable urban development and the promotion of climate protection. In the cultural sector, there has also been a regular exchange of artists between Kunming and Zurich since 2008.

The cooperation has brought good results in some areas: in the improvement of drinking water supply, in the field of public transport (e.B. separate bus lanes, pedestrian zones, lanes for bicycles), in monument protection and in the field of urban planning. The solutions developed according to the principles of sustainability have a model character in the People's Republic of China.

The external costs of the town twinning are financed by the SDC. The commitment of the City of Zurich within the framework of the city partnership with Kunming brings an image gain and fulfills a door opening function for the Zurich and Swiss economy.

Cooperation under the umbrella of the Sino-Swiss Low Carbon Cities Programme

From 2017, the technical cooperation between Zurich and Kunming is to be embedded in the SINO-Swiss Low Carbon Cities (SSLCC) programme implemented by the SDC. SSLCC is a Sino-Swiss programme that emerged from the strategic partnership on climate change between China and Switzerland established in May 2013. The goal of SSLCC is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Chinese cities. SSLCC aims to contribute to a "greener" and more sustainable urbanization, bringing together the findings from existing pilot projects in the field of innovative technologies, contributing to the "capacity builiding" of those responsible for urban planning and stimulating political dialogue at all levels. The Chinese managers in the cities should be able to benefit from international/Swiss experience in the relevant planning, research and implementation steps.