More than Food and Folk Music? Geographical Perspectives on European Town Twinning

Abstract

This article considers the widespread phenomenon of town twinning, placing contemporary practices of twinning in the context of a long history of attempts to promote municipal cooperation across international borders. This paper argues that such twinnings can be conceptualised as forms of economic and project‐based cooperation – albeit one underpinned by a range of symbolic exchanges. Locating twinning within debates on the internationalisation and relationality of cities, this paper thus sketches an agenda for research in which twinning is considered a mutable practice of city governance.

Integracja europejska, wartościowanie i wymiana. W stronę ujęcia transnarodowych relacji społecznych w Unii Europejskiej w kategoriach teorii wartości

“…My testing ground for this approach is a widespread practice without particular currency in the sociology of the EU thus far: town twinning. Usually, town twinning figures into research as a subcase of broader societal and political processes and tendencies, for instance, in the context of studies on urban transnationalism, bottom-up processes of Europeanization, or new modes of transnational governance [Leitner 2004;Grosspietsch 2009;Clarke 2009;Jayne et al 2011;de Villiers et al 2007; Joenniemi/Jańczak 2017]. The still-rare available studies that focus on the logics of town twinning itself in turn foreground the heterogeneity of the practice field of town twinning [Lottermann 2009[Lottermann , 2010[Lottermann , 2016Langenohl 2014Langenohl , 2015.…”

“…Literature on inter-town connections and networks states that such connections are increasingly under the influence of political and administrative projects concerning the towns and cities involved. Grosspietsch [2009] argues that town twinning is approximating other inter-city links, like thematic city networks dedicated to increasing the economic potential and competitiveness in global markets or to improving urban infrastructures. In this process, town twinning comes under the tutelage of a mode of Europeanization that is oriented toward governance [Grosspietsch 2009[Grosspietsch : 1281.…”

“…Grosspietsch [2009] argues that town twinning is approximating other inter-city links, like thematic city networks dedicated to increasing the economic potential and competitiveness in global markets or to improving urban infrastructures. In this process, town twinning comes under the tutelage of a mode of Europeanization that is oriented toward governance [Grosspietsch 2009[Grosspietsch : 1281. In this tendency, the European Commission (EC) is a major factor.…”

Twin Cities—A Matter of Identity and Belonging

“…Indeed, the first alliance formed was created in 1947 between Britain and Germany, and served as a basis for politicians' foreign travels and student exchange initiatives. This alliance was followed by other alliances between countries, with the number of cities reaching such agreements climaxing in the late 1980s (Grosspietsch 2009).…”

“…While the program grew in Europe, it began to expand elsewhere as well, and its characteristics and the activities it encompassed became more flexible (Grosspietsch 2009). For example, in light of the program's expansion in the United States, President Eisenhower established the Twin Cities program in 1956, which in time became an independent civil non-profit organization aimed at strengthening ties between different communities in the world.…”