Rostock - Raleigh
Urban
Diplomacy
Exchange
Rostock-Raleigh
Contribution by Ivana Stijelja,City of Rostock
From June 23 - 28, 2025, a delegation from Rostock composed of Dr. Carolin Hannert (District Manager), Ivana Stijelja (Head of International Affairs) and Hedy Keller (Youth Representative) visited its sister city Raleigh, North Carolina, as part of the Urban Diplomacy Exchange Project.
The itinerary was designed in close cooperation with the Raleigh Sister Cities as a thoughtful combination of meetings with counterpart professionals, visits to institutions, city trips, as well as cultural and social events, supporting shared priorities related to the three key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): inclusive and sustainable communities (SDG 11), youth participation in civic life (SDG 16), and strengthening global city partnerships (SDG 17).
Expected results
- Demonstrating practical models for immigrant inclusion and sustainable neighborhood developmet.
- Showcasing effective youth engagement strategies within civic institutions.
- Strengthening the partnership between Rostock and Raleigh through sustained dialogue, mutual learning and cultural diplomacy.
Professional exchange program
Our program started at the City Museum to get an insight into Raleigh´s history and people and continued at the City Hall where we met with members of the City Council and their staff to discuss city diplomacy, youth engagement and neighborhood priorities. We even took part at the public participation process down the street which involved discussion on the future of a main city street.
The afternoon featured a site visit to the Peach Road Cultural Center, where we explored immigrant integration and culturally responsive neighborhood programming, and expressed a mutual interest to develop a cooperation. Namely, a more intensive exchange with the Peach Road Cultural Center could help our community centers in Schmarl and Groß Klein develop intercultural programs, and identify which program elements are particularly effective. A visit to Rostock might help our Raleigh colleagues develop highly needed shared social spaces in their remote neighborhoods and help overcome urban disparity.
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Photo: Cody Charland, Raleigh (Walnut Creek Wetlands, YMCA)
Youth engagement and sustainability were the focus of the next day. Ivana Stijelja and Carolin Hannert met with the Office of Global Engagement at North Carolina State University to discuss international partnerships and a continuation of the project. Transatlantic Climate Bridge to speak, while Hedy Keller engaged with the YMCA's"Youth and Government" program, reinforcing youth civic participation. This was a very informative and enriching meeting, and Hedy Keller is very interested in developing a sustainable collaboration between YMCA, the Youth Council of Rostock and the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Participation Network. In the afternoon, we toured the Walnut Creek Wetlands Center to examine local approaches to green infrastructure and community resilience.
On Thursday, we met with Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell and City Manager Marchell Adams-David to learn more about the city's leadership models, challenges, and development goals. It seems that affordable housing and development of inclusive neighborhoods are top priorities in both Raleigh and Rostock. To achieve these goals, the cities in the region work together and receive support for housing, environmental, and mobility projects from the Central Pines Regional Council, which we also met with later afternoon. This form of regional collaboration is familiar to us and is comparable to the Planning Association of the Rostock Region.
On our final official day, we made a tour of Dorothea Dix Park where we witnessed a major transformation of hospital facilities into green public spaces and a development of a new neighborhood. Even though our IGA park in Rostock has a different background, we found many similarities in its development and purpose with this park. In 2025, a citizen participation process was initiated regarding the community-oriented future use of the park, which is ultimately intended to result in a redesign of the area. As part of the follow-up to the Urban Diplomacy Project, the IGA park management will be offered an opportunity to connect with the leadership of the Dorothea Dix Park.
On our last official day, we took a tour of Dorothea Dix Park, where we witnessed the comprehensive transformation of a former hospital site into a public green space and the development of a new urban district. Although our IGA park in Rostock had a different background, we found many similarities in its development and purpose with this park. In 2025, a citizen participation process was initiated for the subsequent use of the park in the spirit of community use, which is ultimately intended to lead to a redesign of the area. Thus, following the Urban Diplomacy project, the IGA park management will be offered the opportunity to engage with the management of Dorothea Dix Park.
The exchange was a valuable experience for all the participants. Our visit laid a strong foundation for ongoing collaboration and mutual support between our cities, aligning local innovation with global goals. In addition to the professional insights, personal encounters with our American colleagues contributed significantly to strengthening urban diplomacy and transatlantic cooperation.
Conclusion
The exchange was a valuable experience for all the participants. Our visit laid a strong foundation for ongoing collaboration and mutual support between our cities, aligning local innovation with global goals. In addition to the professional insights, personal encounters with our American colleagues contributed significantly to strengthening urban diplomacy and transatlantic cooperation.