Under contract to the World Bank, the Canadian Urban Institute helped to design, organize and deliver this comprehensive training program held in Toronto from May 2 to 14, 1999. Other Canadian partners included the City of Toronto and the University of Toronto.

Mayors, elected officials, urban managers and other urban professionals from around the world attended the event to learn from a number of Canadian and international leading urban and city management experts. Toronto served as the living laboratory during this event.

The 45 participants were drawn from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Hungary, India, Lebanon, Mexico, the Netherlands, Paraguay, the Philippines, Tanzania, Venezuela, West Bank and Gaza and Zimbabwe.