Austin’s Sister City Relationships Matter More Than You Might Think - by Joe Blackman

Austin has always been good at looking beyond itself, says Joe Blackman MBE. As far as Texas cities goes, it’s got an exceptionally international outlook . Technology brings people here from around the world, SXSW temporarily turns downtown into a different world of creativity, music and innovation, and Austin’s universities, businesses and cultural institutions have a reach far beyond Central Texas.

One part of that international story that gets less attention is Austin’s Sister Cities program. Austin has relationships with cities around the world, from Adelaide and Angers to Oita, Pune and Saltillo. The idea is fairly simple: create connections between places that can lead to cultural exchange, education, trade and, ideally, actual relationships between people.

Last year I had the privilege of being involved in developing one of Austin’s newest international relationships, with Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. In March 2025, we gathered at Austin City Hall as Austin Mayor Kirk Watson,Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Manchester City Council Leader Bev Craig signed a Friendship Cities agreement.

The agreement covered everything from economic development and technology to education, tourism, arts and music. Greater Manchester and Austin were, officially, becoming friends.

It wasn’t a random match and was a huge amount of work from everyone involved . Austin and Manchester have rather a lot in common. Both have world-famous music identities. Both have substantial technology and creative economies. Both have major universities. Both have experienced extraordinary growth. And both have populations with the belief that their city is better than everywhere else! So naturally, we got along.

But there is a serious point behind agreements like this. International relations can sometimes sound very grand and political but they impact all of us

Some of the most useful international relationships start much further down the food chain. A business owner meets someone operating in another market. A university researcher discovers a counterpart working on the same problem. A musician finds an opportunity to perform overseas. Someone introduces two people who probably should have met years ago. That is where city-to-city relationships become interesting.

The Manchester relationship has already produced tangible connections. The University of Manchester and the University of Texas at Austin established a strategic partnership covering areas including engineering, nanotechnology, cancer research, social sciences and the creative industries. And in 2026, Greater Manchester progressed from being one of Austin’s Friendship Cities to joining Austin’s formal list of Sister Cities.

The man who came to Austin as Mayor of Greater Manchester was Andy Burnham. Sixteen months later, on July 20, 2026, he walked into Downing Street as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. So Austin’s new best friend is the UK Prime Minister!

I am interested to see more about the businesses that trade, the students who travel, the researchers who collaborate, the musicians who perform and the friendships that develop because somebody decided two cities should know each other better.

Austin already has those relationships all over the world. We should probably make more of them. Feel free to connect with me on my LinkedIn to discuss further: Joe Blackman

Joe Blackman