City networking in urban strategic planning

City networks are systems of relations through which cities can cooperate in order to face the challenges of economic development, social protection, and environmental sustainability. Consequently, city networking assists local authorities in carrying out their most distinctive function, i.e. the creation of public value in a financially sustainable way. This function has become increasingly complex, leading to a wide and growing interest in urban strategic planning, which, in fact, may offer a useful contribution to local government, as long as it is set and implemented in an authentic and substantial way. This paper aims to contribute to the definition and classification of city networking, analyse its involvement in the creation of public value, and underline its importance in urban strategic planning, identifying some critical points and providing some useful suggestions for the future.