Lowell Confirms Frontrunner City Agreement With UN Partners

The city of Lowell has united a $12,000 investment for publicity in a trade magazine into a place on a global table that could lead to substantial economic development and other opportunities for the city.

“The marketing piece that we paid for jump-started it,” City Manager Tom Golden said in a statement shared with The (Lowell) Sun. “It got on somebody's radar in the United Nations UN-Habitat. Next thing, we get a phone call: ‘Do you want to come to Toronto?'”

Toronto served as the site of the September 2024 Urban Economy Forum (UEF). This global event is focused on reshaping urban economies. The UEF is a nonprofit international organization that works with the United Nations and partners such as the World Urban Pavilion to support the execution of the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals. 

According to The Sun, a partnership with U.N.-led organizations has the potential to create substantial monetary resources and talent for selected cities.

Lowell Mayor Dan Rourke told The Sun that he viewed the opportunity as a way to connect the prestige of the U.N. with Lowell's strong history and economic potential, thereby bringing the Frontrunner City project to Massachusetts.

Lowell has now become the first Frontrunner City for Urban Transformation in the United States. This recognition took place during a signing ceremony held at the United Nations Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on Aug. 25. Seven Lowell city councilors attended the event, including Rourke, as well as Golden and four members of his team.

Frontrunner status enables Lowell to leverage public, private, and philanthropic funds to create inclusive, safe, resilient, sustainable, and tech-enabled communities. Golden described it as “transformative for the future of the city.”

Leadership from the UEF and Lowell is working to finalize seed funding documentation and guidelines. This month, the city will cement its city profile and prepare for the UEF7 meeting in October in Toronto.