Lowell, Massachusetts, was named the United States' first front runner city for urban transformation on Aug. 25 during a ceremony at the United Nations Palais des Nations in Geneva. City officials, representatives of the Urban Economy Forum (UEF), United Nations agencies and academic partners signed a joint statement formalizing the designation and described next steps in an international partnership.

The designation recognizes Lowell's plan to pursue coordinated investments in housing, climate resilience, technology and inclusive economic development. "We are going to declare Lowell as the first US front runner city here in Geneva," said Anantha Krishnan, secretary general of the Urban Economy Forum, during the opening remarks.

Why it matters: Lowell's announcement was presented as a pilot and model for other mid‑size industrial cities seeking to combine historic preservation, community inclusion and new finance structures. Organizers said the partnership will link city leaders, U.S. universities, international development partners and private investors to pilot projects and an academic chair focused on urban transformation.

At the Geneva event, speakers from UEF, the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU‑INWEH), UN‑Habitat, the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) and the private sector framed the designation as both an honor and a test site for scalable practices. Reza Purvaziri, founder of the Urban Economy Forum, said, "I believe Lowell is first front runner on urban transformation," and urged rapid partnership and data work to convert the designation into on‑the‑ground projects.

Lowell officials at the event included Mayor Daniel Rourke; City Manager Tom Golden; Chief Financial Officer Connor Baldwin; City Councilors Rita Mercier, Corey Robinson, Kim Scott, Paul Ratayam, John Decoto and Sakari Chau; and DPD (Department of Planning and Development) staff including Devani Baez Rose and Camilo Esparada. UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen spoke remotely about university collaboration and applied research.

City officials read and signed a formal statement of partnership committing the city and UEF to collaboration on programs described at the event. City Manager Tom Golden said Lowell will serve as a "living lab" to test solutions in housing, mobility, workforce development and climate adaptation, and noted the city intends to combine local funding and external investment to move projects from plan to implementation.

Organizers said the front runner designation will use a mix of financing and institutional mechanisms (public‑private partnerships, blended finance and academic partnerships) to make projects bankable and replicable. Kamran Spele, executive director of UEF, described an investment architecture intended to bundle projects and reduce investor risk; his full description of the framework and priority sectors was presented later in the program.

The event included endorsements and technical remarks from UN and academic partners. William Smythe of UNU‑INWEH introduced speakers; Kaveh Madani, director of UNU‑INWEH, and other UNU representatives expressed support for knowledge partnerships and monitoring. David Aubrey of UN‑Habitat emphasized the importance of leadership and preserving inclusivity during growth. Several speakers referenced Regent Park (Toronto) as a precedent for community‑focused redevelopment.

What was decided and what happens next: the city and UEF signed a partnership statement at Geneva committing both sides to continue co‑design of pilot projects, to develop an academic chair at UMass Lowell focused on urban transformation, and to seek blended finance and technical partners. No formal funding appropriation or legal obligation was recorded at the Geneva signing beyond the partnership statement and public pledges made at the event.

Public comment and audience questions were not part of the formal signature action, and speakers repeatedly stressed that planned projects would require further studies, approvals and specific financing agreements before work begins. "I have to see, feel it, touch it," said Dafydd Aubrey of UN‑Habitat describing the need to ground international partnerships in observable results.

The announcement positions Lowell as a demonstration case intended to inform other cities and international partners; event organizers and city leaders said they expect to publish data, pilot outcomes and academic findings as projects develop.

Neither the UEF nor the city announced specific new appropriations at the Geneva event. City officials said they would return with project‑level proposals, financing plans and community engagement timelines for review in local forums.