Photo: Lee-Hsien-Loong-Prime-Minister-of-Singapore

Suzhou wins top urban award

06 June 2014

by Richard Forster

Suzhou in eastern China was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize at last week’s World Cities Summit, which took place in Singapore.

“Suzhou provides many good lessons for the many rapidly urbanising cities around the world,” said Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean at the Lew Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, during his address at the award ceremony. The professor praised the city’s urban planning strategy that balanced the economic and social needs of its people while preserving the city’s renowned cultural heritage.

Yokohama in Japan and Colombia’s Medellin received Special Mentions as runners-up with Yokohama singled out for the restoration of its waterfront and Medellin recognised for its socially inclusive urban planning, which had helped the city reduce murder rates by 80 percent between 1991 and 2012.

“The greatest challenge that Medellin confronted in order to transform was to generate confidence and trust,” said Anibal Gaviria Correa, Mayor of Medellin, during a debate also attended by the Mayors of Suzhou and Yokohama.

The World Cities Summit attracted over 130 Mayors out of 1200 delegates and is now established as one of the leading platforms for the exchange of best practices and research on city development.

Opening the event on Sunday 1 June, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said urbanisation was proceeding at an unprecedented level which, combined with climate change, was providing a stern challenge to planners and solution providers.

“In the two years since our last summit here, more than 100 million people have moved into cities from the countryside,” said Prime Minister Lee. “Climate change is causing unpredictable extreme weather, like the first snowfall in Cairo in 100 years or floods in London. So we must continue to improve our cities. We must make our housing more affordable and make our public transport more reliable and comprehensive.”

The Prime Minister congratulated Suzhou on its World City Award. “Suzhou’s success began with a partnership with Singapore with the Suzhou Industrial Park and based on the success of the Industrial Park, Suzhou developed a vibrant economy while protecting its cultural landmarks.”

On Tuesday, international consulting firm PwC chose the Summit to launch the latest edition of its Cities of Opportunities report, which examines the liveability and economic strength of 30 cities globally. London was ranked first ahead of New York with Singapore moving up two places to third.

“In this year’s study we have explored how the performance of leading cities around the world has been impacted by their policy choices and their ability to implement their strategic visions,” explained Hazem Galal, PwC’s Global Leader for its Cities and Local Government Network.

The next edition of the World Cities Summit will take place in Singapore in 2016 while the Mayors’ Forum, a companion event, will be hosted by New York in September 2015.

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