نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 استاد، گروه شهرسازی، دانشکده معماری و شهرسازی، دانشگاه تربیتمدرس، تهران، ایران.
2 دانشجوی دکتری، گروه شهرسازی، دانشکده معماری و شهرسازی، دانشگاه تربیتمدرس، تهران، ایران.
3 دانشجوی دکتری، دانشکده شهرسازی، دانشکدگان هنرهای زیبا، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران.
4 دانشجوی کارشناسی ارشد، دانشکده معماری، دانشکدگان هنرهای زیبا، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران.
چکیده
در دهههای اخیر، جایگاه شهرها در نظام حکمرانی جهانی دستخوش تحولی معنادار شده و شهرها از واحدهایی صرفاً مدیریتی به کنشگران فعال در عرصه تعاملات فراملی ارتقا یافتهاند. این تحول که در ادبیات با عنوان «دیپلماسی شهری» شناخته میشود، امکان کنش مستقل یا نیمهمستقل شهرها را در قالب شبکههای بینشهری، همکاریهای موضوعی و روابط شهر به شهر فراهم کرده است. در این میان، روابط خواهرخواندگی بهعنوان یکی از قدیمیترین و در عین حال مناقشهبرانگیزترین سازوکارهای دیپلماسی شهری، همواره میان کارکرد نمادین و ظرفیتهای عملی همکاری نوسان داشته است. با وجود گسترش پژوهشها در این حوزه، ادبیات موجود عمدتاً پراکنده، ناهمگون و فاقد جمعبندی تحلیلی منسجم درباره ابعاد، کارکردها و محدودیتهای واقعی این سازوکار است. هدف این پژوهش، ارائه تصویری نظاممند از تحولات مفهومی و کارکردی دیپلماسی شهری با تمرکز بر سازوکار روابط خواهرخواندگی و شناسایی الگوهای مسلط، شکافهای پژوهشی و پیامدهای سیاستی آن است. بدین منظور، از روش مرور نظاممند استفاده شد و مقالات علمی منتشرشده در بازه زمانی 2000 تا 2025 در پایگاههای استنادی معتبر مورد جستوجو، غربالگری و تحلیل قرار گرفتند. دادههای استخراجشده با رویکرد تحلیل مضمون مورد کدگذاری و دستهبندی قرار گرفت و مضامین غالب شناسایی شد. یافتههای پژوهش نشان میدهد که دیپلماسی شهری در ادبیات معاصر از رویکردهای نمادین و تشریفاتی بهسوی همکاریهای مسئلهمحور، شبکهای و یادگیرنده در حال گذار است. روابط خواهرخواندگی در قالب پنج مؤلفه محوری قابل تبیین است: حکمرانی چندسطحی و مشروعیت نهادی، عقلانیت تصمیمگیری و راهبری همکاریها، نهادمندی اجرا و تداوم اقتصادی، توانمندسازی شبکهای و نوآورانه و یادگیری، تابآوری و ارزیابی مبتنی بر داده. در عین حال، نتایج نشان میدهد که در فقدان چارچوبهای نهادی شفاف، ظرفیتهای خواهرخواندگی اغلب به سطح تعاملات نمادین تقلیل یافته و از تحقق دستاوردهای پایدار بازمیماند. بر این اساس، پژوهش حاضر بر ضرورت بازتعریف روابط خواهرخواندگی بهعنوان سازوکاری انتخابی، مسئلهمحور و مبتنی بر ظرفیت نهادی تأکید میکند و میتواند مبنایی تحلیلی برای سیاستگذاری آگاهانهتر در حوزه دیپلماسی شهری و مدیریت تعاملات فراملی شهرها فراهم آورد.
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
Cities as Diplomatic Actors: A Systematic Review of Urban Sister City Mechanisms
نویسندگان [English]
- Hashem Dadashpoor 1
- Mana Vahidbafandeh 2
- Mohammad Mehdi Panahi 3
- Maede Dadashpour 4
1 Urban and Regional Planning Department, Faculty of Art & Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Urban and Regional Planning Department, Faculty of Art & Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
3 School of Urban Planning, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
4 School of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
چکیده [English]
Highlights
Interaction among institutions at the local, national, and international levels is essential for establishing effective and transparent governance in sister-city relations.
By moving beyond the traditional symbolism of sister-city partnerships, urban diplomacy has increasingly focused on issue-oriented network coalitions to strengthen local soft power.
The sustainability of transnational urban mechanisms depends on rational decision-making, institutionalized implementation, and data-driven evaluation to enhance learning and resilience.
The effectiveness of sister-city relations requires a transition from broad, non-binding agreements toward selective and limited forms of cooperation based on institutional capacity and clearly defined shared issues.
Introduction
In recent decades, the city has moved beyond its traditional role as an administrative unit of national governments to become a major arena for transnational action. International relations and urban studies increasingly view cities as networks of human, knowledge-based, and institutional capital capable of participating in diplomacy, meaning-making, and the exercise of soft power. Alongside the shift from state-centered models toward multi-level governance, this transformation has contributed to the emergence of “city diplomacy” as a form of local foreign policy. Within this framework, cities act as intermediary actors, managing relations, negotiations, and transnational cooperation through intercity networks and international institutions.
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework of this study views sister-city relations as a practical mechanism of city diplomacy within a multi-level governance framework. In this context, cities operate as transnational actors and strengthen their development capacities and soft power through institutional, economic, cultural, and knowledge-based cooperation. The framework combines three approaches: the institutional-functional approach, which focuses on governance structures and operational mechanisms; the network approach, which examines interactions within international city networks; and the development-oriented approach, which emphasizes policy learning, knowledge transfer, and sustainable urban development. Together, these approaches guide the analysis of the literature and the identification of the main dimensions of sister-city relations.
Conceptualizing City Diplomacy and Sister-City Relations
Sister-city relations refer to international agreements established between two or more cities in different countries with the aim of promoting economic, cultural, social, educational, scientific, and environmental cooperation. These relationships are generally non-binding in nature; that is, they are primarily established through memoranda of understanding and, unlike formal intergovernmental treaties, do not impose legally enforceable obligations. Nevertheless, in practice, they may lead to stable and long-term cooperation.
Historical Development of Sister Cities and Their Role in City Diplomacy
The origins of sister-city relations can be traced back to the period following the Second World War, when local communities in war-affected countries, particularly in Europe, sought to rebuild trust, promote peaceful coexistence, and reduce international tensions. Some of the earliest examples of such cooperation emerged between cities in the United Kingdom and Germany and focused primarily on cultural, educational, and social exchanges aimed at fostering solidarity among local communities. Although these relationships were initially symbolic and peace-oriented, their functions gradually expanded in parallel with changes in the international system.
Methodology
This study employed a systematic review to collect, evaluate, and synthesize academic and policy evidence on city diplomacy and sister-city relations. Through thematic analysis, it examined the development of the literature and identified key components relevant to the governance and policymaking of intercity relations. This method was selected because the literature is dispersed across the fields of international relations, urban planning, multi-level governance, and network studies. To reduce selection bias and improve transparency, the search and screening process followed the PRISMA framework.
The review covered English-language sources published between 2000 and 2025 and Persian-language sources published between 1385 and 1405 in the Solar Hijri calendar. International databases included Scopus, Web of Science, Springer, and Google Scholar, while Persian sources were retrieved from SID, Magiran, IranDoc, and Noormags.
In addition to academic publications, relevant policy and strategic documents on municipal international relations, particularly those related to Tehran and national intercity cooperation, were reviewed. Their inclusion enabled an assessment of the gap between academic knowledge and practical implementation.
Results and Discussion
Publication trends show a steady increase in research on city diplomacy and sister-city relations, with the highest volume of publications recorded during 2020–2025. The literature is structured around three interconnected layers: governance and institutional regulation, strategic implementation, and learning and networking. “Multi-level integration” emerged as the dominant theme, supported by institutional networking, data-driven decision-making, and structured implementation. Overall, sister-city planning can be understood as a dynamic, network-based, and learning-oriented process.
Conclusion
The effectiveness of sister-city relations depends on institutional coherence, rational decision-making, structured implementation, and network-based cooperation rather than on symbolic agreements alone. Sustainable outcomes require long-term institutionalization, effective municipal coordination, and continuous learning. In Iranian cities, institutional fragmentation, managerial instability, and weak evaluation mechanisms remain the main barriers to effective city diplomacy.
Acknowledgment
This article is derived from the research project entitled “Designing a Strategic Planning Model for the Tehran Metropolis to Utilize the Capacities of Sister-City Partnerships,” supported by the Tehran Municipality Research and Studies Center.
کلیدواژهها [English]
- City diplomacy
- sister-city relations
- international city networks
- multi-level governance
- issue-oriented cooperation
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