Mayor Curtatone is part of a Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation delegation that is traveling to China from June 7-18. The trip, which is fully paid for by the Ash Center where Mayor Curtatone is a Senior Fellow, represents an outstanding opportunity for the City. In addition to sharing information on City programs and initiatives, the Mayor will be working to open up opportunities for the city ranging from student academic exchanges to support for the City’s green tech and sustainability goals as he meets with government, business and academic leaders. The trip is organized by Edward Cunningham, Director of the HKS Ash Center’s China Program and the HKS Asia Energy and Sustainability Initiative, and joining Prof. Cunningham and Mayor Curtatone on the trip is Ash Center Director and Daewoo Professor of International Affairs Anthony Saich.

Mayor Curtatone was invited on the trip as a Senior Fellow with the Ash Center and to share Somerville’s best practices as a model for in local government innovation and economic development with students, business leaders and government officials in Hong Kong and China. Mayor Curtatone is presenting to groups at Hong Kong University and, in Bejing, Tsinghua University’s School of Public Policy and Management about how the City has worked with HKS and implemented data-driven performance management to improve services, livability and sustainability in the city. He will also present to executives of China Southern Power Grid Company in Guangzhou about Somerville’s lessons of innovation and how the City is working with green technology, from bringing Greentown Labs to Somerville to the new Green Tech Program that the City has launched. Lastly, Mayor Curtatone will speak at the Hong Kong Club to Hong Kong business people and government officials about Somerville’s rise as an innovation hub and the work the City is doing to attract businesses.

During Mayor Curtatone’s trip, he is contact throughout the day with City staff and continues to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the City.

— City of Somerville