On Thursday December 7, the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation announced the winning cities in a ceremony that brought together urban leaders and innovators in Guangzhou, the capital of China's Guangdong province.
A total of 274 projects from 193 cities in 54 countries participated in the 2023 edition. From fifteen shortlisted cities, five were declared winners: Bogota, Colombia; Chalandri, Greece; Gwangju, Republic of Korea; Kampala, Uganda; and Xianning, China, with the latter also voted as the "City of Your Choice."
Xianning, China, winner of the "City of Your Choice Award"
The biennial award, staged in the of city of Guangzhou, seeks to foster a global dialogue on urban innovation, recognizing and rewarding cities and local governments that have made notable advancements in this area. The award encourages a scientific and sustainable approach to urban development, aiming to create a collaborative network for sharing successful practices and sustainable urban strategies on an international scale.
Key themes recognized by the award include enhancing social inclusion, fostering environmental protection, improving public services and infrastructure, preserving urban heritage and culture, and leveraging smart technologies for better governance.
Watch this feature to find out more about the 2023 winning cities.
First established in 2012 by the City of Guangzhou in partnership with Metropolis and UCLG, the Guangzhou Award underscores the importance of city-to-city cooperation in addressing the complex challenges of urban living.
The award has, over the past decade, compiled a rich archive of 1,635 submissions from 653 cities across 101 countries, showcasing initiatives primarily in infrastructure, public service, urban planning, governance, technology, resilience, social management, and gender equality.
This year, the Guangzhou Award also bestowed the Medal of Honour upon ten additional cities: Antalya, Turkey; Cape Town, South Africa; Iztapalapa, Mexico; Jakarta, Indonesia; Kazan, Russia; Mannheim, Germany; Pimpri-Chinchwad, India; Ramallah, Palestine; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Tehran, Iran, recognising their significant contributions to urban innovation.
Stay tuned: The use platform is proud to partner with the Guangzhou Award and will publish the winning cities and selected participating cities projects as case studies in the coming months! You can view all case studies contributed by the Guangzhou Award here.