Intercity cooperation appears to be thriving, as evidenced by the growing number of regional and international intercity networks. However, a closer examination of these interactions reveals that their scope and depth are often limited, with information sharing, delegation visits, and mutual learning being the most common forms of engagement. Consequently, cities are frequently perceived as participating in intercity networks to “add flowers to the brocade”—a gesture of enhancement—rather than to achieve any substantial improvement in their functional capacities.

中文翻译：

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利他主义城市的案例


城际合作似乎正在蓬勃发展，越来越多的区域和国际城际网络证明了这一点。然而，对这些互动的仔细研究会发现，它们的范围和深度往往是有限的，信息共享、代表团访问和相互学习是最常见的参与形式。因此，城市经常被视为参与城际网络是为了“锦上添花”——一种增强的姿态——而不是为了实现其功能能力的任何实质性改进。