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At the International Symposium, Enhancing City Attractiveness for the Future, on 2-3 June 2005, in Nagoya, Japan, leading academics, government leaders, policy makers and practitioners gathered in a unique forum to explore the opportunities policies to enhance city attractiveness can provide for urban economic regeneration.  The attractiveness of cities is one of the key issues on the agenda of urban policy planners in OECD member countries and beyond.  The impact of globalisation and the emergence of knowledge-based economies creates a formidable challenge for them in their endeavour to maintain and enhance the competitiveness of their cities by achieving a flexible, adaptable and diverse local economic structure, which would better position their cities faced with global competition. From the debate lessons were drawn both from academic insights and experiences of policy planners involved in formulating and implementing policy packages that consciously aim at enhancing city image and attractiveness.

The Symposium was co-hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Government of Japan; Aichi Prefecture; City of Nagoya; Urban Renaissance Agency; Chubu Economic Federation; and the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce and Industry.