A collaboration between Metropolis and Melbourne was formalised on Friday 13 April 2012, in New Delhi, with the signing of an agreement to launch the Metropolis Initiative “Integrated Strategic Planning and Public Private Partnerships”. At the same time, the first launching meeting of Metropolis Melbourne Initiative was agreed to be held in NIUA facilities (New Delhi), during 26-27 July 2012. The event will be attended by representatives from key Indian and International organisations.

Living Labs Global, together with the Cities of Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona, Oracle and The Climate Group will organize the Rio Summit on Service Innovation in Cities on May 2 and 3, 2012, in Rio de Janeiro.Metropolis is an event partner at the Rio Summit as part of the Initiative Agile Cities for a New Age of Accessibility, Efficiency and Growth, a joint effort to meet global challenges through technology and innovation and to support cities in answering questions on how new technologies can be used effectively to meet climate, urban service, social and economic objectives.

The collaboration between Metropolis and the Kreanta Foundation was formalized on Monday 12 March 2012 with the signing of an agreement to implement the Metropolis Initiative Transferring Knowledge and Cooperating in Culture, Education and City.

Following on from conversations with the company Cisco to develop the Smart City concept, Barcelona has established the public/private basis to become a global reference model of sustainable urban development.
The city will create the BIT-Habitat Foundation, design the City Protocol, test-run new urban services, and enjoy the collaboration of private enterprises that will also bring their knowledge of human and material resources to the table. This has all created a favorable atmosphere for the creation of a Metropolis Initiative promoted by Barcelona City Council and Cisco.

Metropolis Initiatives are a figure created by Metropolis to contribute to the execution of the 2012-2014 Action Plan. They are open to members and also to partners and non-member cities who wish to take responsibility for a project, theme or activity of the Association which represents a mutual benefit of learning, exchange, and international visibility.

The duration of each Initiative corresponds to the project carried out, which may run from 1 to 3 years. New Initiatives can be submitted each year.