He is creating a new model for connecting cool, smaller cities (those with less than 1.5 million population) across the world.  Smaller Cities Unite! seeks to form mutually beneficial collaborations among partner cities on multiple levels: student engagement, economic development, arts and culture, policy, and entrepreneurship.

Andy is recently back from his trip to Copenhagen, the first partner city included in Smaller Cities Unite!  While there, he met with 50-60 individuals over the course of about 11 days.  Why Copenhagen?  There are several reasons, namely:

1. Both cities are amongst the first settled on their respective continents (Copenhagen in 1137 and Providence in 1636);
2. Both are “college” towns rich in academic assets (Copenhagen has 14 colleges and universities and Providence has 7);
3. Similar in geographic size (Copenhagen encompasses 34 square miles and Providence 20.5 square miles); population size (Copenhagen has 1.2 million residents and Providence has 180,000, but the Greater Providence Area has upwards of 1 million and is the 2nd largest city in New England and represents the 37th largest metro area in the U.S.)
4. Both cities are globally acclaimed for their arts and design communities;
5. Both cities are “gateway cities” (Copenhagen is not only a gateway city to Scandinavia, but also to most of Western Europe; Providence is a gateway city along the I-95 corridor in the Northeast Region of the U.S. stretching from Maine to Washington, D.C.)
6. Language is not a barrier between Providence and Copenhagen as over 80% of Danes generally speak English.

But more importantly, Copenhagen does some things very well that Providence can learn from and Providence does things very well that it can teach Copenhagen.

I sat down with Andy on Wednesday to interview him about his experience.  Watch the video here:

One of the most important themes from his trip is that Copenhagen is very receptive to this sort of partnering, especially because it would be a mutual learning experience.  Smaller Cities Unite! is just as much about sharing information as it is collecting information.  Says Andy, “we weren’t just asking, we wanted to give too.”

• Copenhagen is a world leader in bicycle infrastructure design for cities, something that would be incredibly helpful as the Providence Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission develops strategies for Mayor Angel Taveras to promote biking and walking in Providence.
• Copenhagen (and Denmark) has committed to become completely energy independent by the year 2050. And to demonstrate its seriousness, the country generated 40% of its energy from renewable sources by 2012, eight years ahead of schedule.  As the Deepwater Wind project continues to move forward, there are likely lessons to be learned from Copenhagen’s experience with renewable energy.
• Betaspring in Providence is unique and innovative in its approach to entrepreneurship and is recognized globally for the effectiveness of its 12-week accelerator program at growing, scaling, and funding companies.  Are there opportunities for the numerous entrepreneurs in Providence and Copenhagen to connect, partner, and break into new global markets?  There’s only one way to find out.
• Providence has a much deeper sense of community and a much more tightknit network of support and collaboration, particularly for tech and design, than does Copenhagen.  Establishing this framework in Copenhagen and between Providence and Copenhagen will likely benefit both cities.

Establishing the initial connection was just the first step.  Andy is now thinking about what structures are necessary to make Smaller Cities Unite! a sustainable network of interchanges between Providence and Copenhagen to actualize the transfer of knowledge and ideas on an ongoing basis.  As the private sector was the initial source of the funding, they are likely to be necessary for future funding.  Additionally, there may be opportunities for foundation grant funding, or even public sector funds to promote and expand the project.  Anyone who is interested in donating time, resources, or ideas for the project should contact Andy Cutler at andy@cutlerandcompany.com or @andypvd.

Finally, Andy is grateful to his initial donors for this trip and wanted to identify them by name for their generous support.

• Liz Eddins of Eddins Design
• John Hazen White of Taco
• Steven Lane of Ximedica
• Susan Mocarski of Cleverhood
• Soren Ryherd of Working Planet and Retail Project RI
• Allan Tear of Betaspring

HOME TO INTELLIGENT CIVL DIALOGUE CALLING FOR ACTION & KNOWN THE WORLD OVER

Providence (and Rhode Island) is becoming home to a number of events which serve three distinct purposes–

1. Coalescing positive elements (and by elements I mean people, who have created pockets of positive ecosystems here). Being positive in a place where cynicism has ruled the roost for so many years takes a lot of energy, time and commitment. Positive individuals NEED to have outlets to be around similarly positive people to gain support, recharge their psychic batteries and share their ideas and thoughts on improving our local community, and the world as a whole;
2. Having events which engage and welcome our student community is extremely important as we look for more of them to stay here upon graduation; and
3. TEDx Providence is now part of a growing list of exciting events which attract not only locals but which are also attracting individuals from around the world to come to Rhode Island (e.g., A Better World by Design, BIF Summit on Collaborative Innovation, MakerFaireRI, Social Venture Partners-Rhode Island SEEED Summit, our state’s eight film festivals, the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, Bryant University’s World Trade Day, etc.) to learn, network and dream big! Why is that important? Engaging with the world means just that, but first starts with welcoming individuals here. Not to sell them on our locale, but rather to show them them the talent that resides here and how we can help them achieve great success with our talent pool (and vice versa); that is the very essence of what engagement means.

ACKNOWLEDGING, HIGHLIGHTING AND LEVERAGING OUR WORLD CLASS TALENT IS ESSENTIAL

If you look at who presented at the inaugural TEDx Providence event…..I mean look at them–their life experiences, professional achievements and the impact they have had on the community….I can assure you of this–any community in the WORLD would love to have these individuals residing and working there. They represent the tip of the iceberg, but what sort of talent resides here! Professors who are great mentors; entrepreneurs who have contributed beyond the launch of their own ventures and work far beyond our borders; new arrivals to the state; new ideas being implemented that other communities around the world can learn from; and artists who exemplify innovation!

So, continue to watch out for such activities right here in your own backyard and get engaged!