This was announced by IDA President Kit Cramer at the association’s 55th Annual Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 11-15 September this year. The theme of the conference this year was The Urban Canvas: The art of downtown development.

“The IDA provides a useful way of keeping in touch with the latest developments in place management and urban renewal” says Andrew, who is returning to Cape Town tomorrow.

Andrew was one of the speakers at the conference delivering an address on the lessons learned (Public-Private Partnerships and Urban Regeneration in the Central City: Lessons from the past ten years) during the past decade since the Partnership was established in 1999.

“There was a great deal of interest in what Cape Town has achieved in our Central City over the past ten years, particularly with regard to social development and job creation” says Boraine. “Previously, we attended IDA conferences mainly to see what we could learn from other cities. Now, we are in a position to share our own lessons. In particular, delegates from countries such as Brazil were interested in learning how to establish urban partnerships and improvement districts in the context of an emerging economy. We can teach a great deal in that regard. And of course, everyone was interested in our preparations for the 2010 World Cup and how they could make it to Cape Town next year”.