NEW YORK Co-organisers:
Prize Sponsor:
Partners:
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BILBAO
AHMEDABAD
BRISBANE
COPENHAGEN
MALMÖ
VANCOUVER
MELBOURNE
KHAYELITSHA
CURITIBA
DELHI
CITIES IN TRANSFORMATION
The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize visual identity design is based on the appropriation of the “ring” symbol, which is commonly used to represent cities on a world map and in atlases. Complemented by graphical shapes of countries, the overall identity design communicates the global perspective of the award and creates a new awareness of the real-life possibility of cities that have benefited from excellent and innovative urban solutions.
THE PRIZE Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is a biennial international award that honours outstanding achievements and contributions to the creation of liveable, vibrant and sustainable urban communities around the world. The Prize seeks to honour cities and their key leaders and organisations for displaying foresight, good governance and innovation in tackling the many urban challenges faced, to bring about social, economic and environmental benefits in a holistic way to their communities.
2012 Laureate New York City
CITIES IN TRANSFORMATION LEE KUAN YEW WORLD CITY PRIZE
2010 Laureate Bilbao
To facilitate the sharing of best practices in urban solutions that are easily replicable across cities, the Prize places an emphasis on practical and cost-effective solutions and ideas, for the benefit of communities around the world. Through this prize, Singapore hopes to promote exemplary thought-leadership and exchange of ideas among cities, so as to spur further innovation in the area of sustainable urban development. The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Laureate is presented with an award certificate, a gold medallion and a cash prize of S$300,000, sponsored by Keppel Corporation.
A FITTING TRIBUTE Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is named after Singapore’s first prime minister and former minister mentor. Mr Lee was instrumental in developing Singapore into a distinctive, clean and green garden city in the short span of a few decades. Under his leadership, the adoption of strategic land use, transport and environmental policies and programmes has helped Singapore to develop into a liveable city with a high quality living environment, in tandem with rapid economic growth. The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is co-organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) and the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC).
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Foreword
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FOREWORD MR LEE KUAN YEW
With rapid urbanisation, the 21st century will likely be the age of global cities. Global cities are hubs for talent, ideas, capital and trade. The social density and resource efficiency give them an advantage. While geography and history remain important to a city’s success, so is visionary leadership, strong governance, constant innovation and the relentless drive to make cities attractive places for social and economic intercourse. Singapore’s growth has taken five decades to move from the Third World to the First World. We learned from the experiences of other nations. But we also adapted several features to suit our history and context. Our rapid transformation owes partly to the fact that Singapore is both a state and a city. With no natural resources and hinterland, we were forced to turn our limitations into advantages. We could do many things that countries with a large rural hinterland could not or would not do. Singapore focused on ensuring that our urban population enjoyed a liveable and secure environment, with decent jobs, good public housing and a clean and green environment. Over 80% of our population live in and own good apartments built by the Housing and Development Board. We greened up to make Singapore a Garden City. With this foundation, we hope to move up to be a City in a Garden. Our policies support the growth of a cohesive and inclusive society, with many races and cultures engaging each other within our small space. We have planned to make efficient use of limited land. Singapore has one of the busiest airports, seaports and financial centres in the world. We also set aside land for green and recreational areas, industries and utilities. To meet our water needs, two-thirds of our city serves as catchment areas for collecting and storing rainwater in 17 reservoirs, 32 rivers and 7,000 km of canals and drains. Constant innovation is necessary for all cities to sustain and thrive. In a world of rapid change, cities need to work hard to remain vibrant and liveable. This applies to both established global cities and emerging ones. We can learn from one another. The World City Prize recognises the efforts of cities around the world which create outstanding environments for their residents to raise families, exchange ideas and seize opportunities in the 21st century. Besides celebrating successful cities, the Prize is an avenue to share best urban practices. Our collective knowledge can enable us to learn, improve and resolve urban issues in collaboration with other cities. The future of cities in the 21st century is an exciting challenge. The Laureates and Special Mentions of 2010 and 2012 have not only reshaped their communities, but are also sharing their knowledge and experience with the world. I congratulate them for their inspiring endeavours.
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CONTENTS
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FOREWORD
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LAUREATES CITY OF NEW YORK BILBAO
44 46 54 62 76 84
SPECIAL MENTIONS CITIES AHMEDABAD BRISBANE COPENHAGEN AND MALMÖ VANCOUVER MELBOURNE
INTRODUCTION MAP
92 94 102 110
SPECIAL MENTIONS ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS AHT GROUP AG/SUN DEVELOPMENT JAIME LERNER SHEILA DIKSHIT
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APPENDICES
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CITY OF NEW YORK The Honourable Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York, and the departments of Transportation, City Planning and Parks & Recreation are recognised for strategically orchestrating the remarkable transformation of New York City over the last decade. The year 2001 was a traumatic point in which the city suffered a sense of loss and uncertainty. Under the mayor’s visionary leadership, New York faced that adversity by defining a bold vision for its future. Within years, the city had not only recovered but had grown better than before. By embracing its complexity, density and diversity, the city witnessed a marked increase in the quality of life in a short span of time. Building on the foundation of crime reduction and other urban initiatives of earlier administrations, the leadership of Mayor Bloomberg and his commissioners has altered the landscape and notably renewed confidence and optimism among New Yorkers for their city’s future. New York City’s successful reinvention and rejuvenation is framed by the effective and efficient implementation of the actions set out in PlaNYC – a holistic and interdisciplinary blueprint for a greater and greener New York. This forward-looking set of interdependent strategies charts the city’s future to 2030 by integrating disciplines such as landuse planning, transportation investment, environmental stewardship, and public health in one document. It addresses the challenges of accommodating another 1 million residents and new 21st-century jobs to the city’s population and workforce, renewing the city’s physical infrastructure, and preparing for climate change. PlaNYC’s comprehensive set of strategies, while focused on outcomes for the year 2030, also sets specific short-term milestones for intended progress on a variety of metrics, ranging from numbers of trees planted, hectares of contaminated land remediated, and benchmarking for energy efficiency to improvements in air and water quality. Many of these initiatives cumulatively contribute toward the overarching goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. Progress on all initiatives, and this overall goal, is measured and publicly published each year. Recognising the importance of improving existing urban systems and creating new public infrastructure at the citywide level to secure its future, the city takes the lead in strategic capital investment as an imperative to generate catalytic benefits for the city. Today, more than 283 hectares of parks and 450 km of bicycle lanes have been installed. Specific examples include the reuse and repurposing of the city’s industrial waterfront into a dynamic and sustainable park, as embodied in Brooklyn Bridge Park. By demonstrating a high level of commitment and capital investment, business confidence has been boosted and has, in turn, restored citizens’ faith in their city. The decision to legislate PlaNYC for review every four years to chart the city’s future further displays exemplary foresight. Institutionalising key processes and mandating their continual measurement ensures longevity of the plan and that strategic objectives will be met over the long run. The administration is highly commended for the strong political will that is spearheading change in the city and in the mindset of its residents. The capacity for dialogue between government and civic groups also synergises efforts and allows creative ideas to take root. This is exemplified in bottom-up, high-impact initiatives such as the High Line, where neighbourhoods are renewed and beneficial effects stimulate the city’s economy. Underutilised spaces and roads have also been carefully transformed, with limited funds, into plazas for the public’s enjoyment. Partnerships with community and business groups not only helped to maintain the spaces but fostered a sense of ownership. This has significantly lifted the quality of life in an urban environment. The city’s transformation is a testament to the dynamic leadership of Mayor Bloomberg and the departments of Transportation, City Planning and Parks & Recreation, as well as other city agencies, and to the dedicated partnership between the city and its stakeholders to implement a shared vision for the city. It serves as an inspiring model for other mature, high-density global cities to reframe their future in terms of sustainability and offers many innovative and replicable solutions for cities around the world. Citation 2012
The Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn Bridge Park.
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Cities in Transformation
“ It is perfectly natural for old, overcrowded cities to get tired and to despair of renewal. This could have happened to New York. Instead, a dynamic mayor’s team coupled with bold citizens’ initiatives brought urban renewal in many ways: the elevated walkway, the Times Square renovation, the new Brooklyn parks. New York’s rejuvenation can inspire cities all around the world.” Professor Kishore Mahbubani
Snapshot New York City is the centre of the New York metropolitan area in the State of New York and is the most populous city in the United States of America. Government: New York City Government. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (2002– ) is the 108th mayor. Natural Features: Located at the mouth of the Hudson River, leading into the Atlantic Ocean. Area: Five boroughs over a land area of roughly 789 sq km (2010) Population: Approx 8.18 million (2010) Population Density: 10,430 per sq km (2010) Transportation: 10,140 km of streets and highways and nearly 800 bridges. Currently 1,127 km of bicycle lanes, with 450 km installed since 2007. Network is set to expand to around 2,900 km by 2030. Subway system has more than 1,060 km of tracks and handles 5 million passengers each day, while the city’s 6,000 buses move 2.5 million passengers daily. In Development: New York City will unveil the United States of America’s largest bike share programme – 10,000 bikes at 600 stations – during the summer of 2012. Nearly 600 park projects, worth US$1.2 billion, are in the design, bidding and construction stages.
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2012 Laureate City of New York
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SHEILA DIKSHIT
2010 Special Mention Sheila Dikshit
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Mrs Sheila Dikshit was shortlisted for her notable implementations in improving the living environment of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. In spite of limited resources and limited control over the planning process, Mrs Dikshit had managed to muster the masses to implement several project-based initiatives that led to an improvement in quality of life. She also managed to increase the green cover in Delhi from 26 sq km in 1997 to nearly 300 sq km in 2010, and was the key proponent in converting all public transport to the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel. This has led to a marked improvement in the air quality of the city. In addition, she conceptualised the Bhagidari Citizen-Government Partnership, which involved collaboration between citizens and the city administration for the improvement of civic services. The Bhagidari now includes 2,300 citizen groups with over 5 million people. Mrs Dikshit also successfully carried out a power sector reform that brought about the positive mindset of consumers and distribution companies after privatisation of the sector. Other positive outcomes include the lowering of aggregate technical and commercial losses from 50% to 18%, and a vast improvement in services. The success of her implementations depends upon having a leader with great commitment and perseverance.
Delhi is tackling pollution with solutions such as a CNG-fuelled public-transport system.
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Cities in Transformation
B
y the 1990s, Delhi was experiencing a spurt in growth that made it an attractive destination for an estimated half a million people arriving each year in search of a livelihood. The unprecedented growth in human population and the associated increase in industrial activity and road traffic, put severe pressure on civic amenities and an already strained infrastructure. Power cuts were excessive. Littering was rife. Poor roads and traffic congestion were the norm. Summer water shortages and overflowing sewers added to the misery. The problems extended to the health and education sector. Grievances also related to slum encroachments, the collection and payment of taxes, and the issuing of licenses. When Mrs Sheila Dikshit was elected as chief minister of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi in 1998, she recognised that the administration would not be able to alleviate these problems if it kept to conventional methods of problem solving. She observed a seemingly intractable predicament: Delhi residents lacked empowerment to play an active and positive role in the day-to-day running of their city, and the relationship between citizens and administration officials was often adversarial due to years of antipathy. She realised that to break the inertia and encourage government responsiveness, the two sides would have to be brought together as active partners. The Bhagidari (Hindi for "partnership") system was unveiled in January 2000. This innovative approach promotes broadbased civil participation in local governance. The stated goal of Bhagidari is “to create greater transparency and accountability in administration”, in order to improve the “quality, efficiency and delivery of public services”. Bhagidari emphasises the need for both parties to understand each other in order to arrive at practical and efficient solutions for urban problems. By facilitating the interaction of citizen groups and government officials, Bhagidari has established genuine dialogue through frequent workshops held to discuss issues, identify possible solutions and execute pragmatic steps towards implementation. One early significant Bhagidari initiative was the enactment of the Right to Information Act 2001. Delhi is one of the first states in India to enforce the Act. As a result, an open and responsive system of administration and social and economic development took precedence over an opaque and indifferent system. Many of the early Bhagidari workshops focused on one of Delhi’s thorny problems: chronic power shortages. From these deliberations, Mrs Dikshit was able to spearhead a successful power sector reform. The administration rectified the
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incapacitating power cuts by sharing the responsibility between private and public bodies. The state government utility board, the Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB), was unbundled into three privately owned distribution companies. The government now supervises transmission and generation, while distribution has been handed over to private companies. Prior to the power reforms, the Delhi Government gave a subsidy of around Rs150 billion per annum to the Delhi power sector. With reform, this financial burden has been lifted. The distribution companies were given AT&C (aggregate transmission and commercial) loss reduction targets. The impact of these targets was very much in evidence in 2009, when the Delhi Government was able to withdraw all general subsidies without affecting the tariffs. The funds are now used for infrastructure development including roads, bridges and flyovers. The availability of power has not only considerably improved the quality of life for many Delhi residents but has also reduced pollution due to individually owned generators. Delhi has registered multidimensional improvements under the leadership of Mrs Dikshit. The introduction of compressed natural gas (CNG) to all public-transport vehicles has resulted in a dramatic improvement in the quality of air, with a 72% reduction of lead emissions. Delhi now has the world’s largest CNG-fuelled public-transport network, with over 130,000 vehicles. Delhi was awarded the US Department of Energy’s first Clean Cities International Partner of the Year award for ‘‘bold efforts to curb air pollution and support alternative fuel initiatives’’. The ecological issues facing Delhi were also addressed with the implementation of the Green Delhi campaign, which has led to a substantial increase in green cover. Efforts to manage the territory’s natural heritage were intensified, and new parks and forests were created. Free saplings were distributed to citizens, schools, resident welfare associations and non-governmental organisations. Various stakeholders, including 1900 eco-clubs, are involved in tree planting in their respective areas. Children’s involvement is actively cultivated through campaigns such as Say No to Plastic Bags and Plant More Trees. Funds are provided through the My Delhi I Care programme. Forest coverage has expanded from 26 sq km in 1997 to over 300 sq km today, through the various green initiatives. There are currently about 20,000 parks and 23 city forests, nine of which were created in 2009. The Bhagidari system has been an enormous success. It has expanded from the initial 20 groups to more than 2,300, representing almost 95% of the city’s population. These partnerships have not only made Delhi more green and controlled
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2010 Special Mention Sheila Dikshit
air pollution, but also improved waste management, encouraged community involvement in crime prevention and detection, protected senior citizens, promoted women’s empowerment, extended community participation in village management, and improved and promoted the citizen’s right to information. One settlement that suffered from poor infrastructure has been able, through Bhagidari, to implement numerous basic improvements including sewer systems, pump houses, street lamps, boundary walls, underground reservoirs, and roads and drains, as well as amenities such as a senior citizen centre and even tax camps to facilitate collection of taxes. Mrs Dikshit and her colleagues have shown that the adoption of democratic decentralisation in lieu of central planning can yield impressive results and deliver real reform. While Bhagidari has become a showcase for citizen-government partnership, it should be noted that its programmes do not form part of an overall planning strategy. The Government of India controls the urban-planning processes and key infrastructure projects in NCT of Delhi. With her established political and public network, Mrs Dikshit, who is in her third term as chief minister, has taken on the role of intermediary between the central government and the citizens of Delhi. Although such programmes are not unprecedented, none has been undertaken on such a large and impressive scale. Several other Indian cities have been inspired by the Delhi experience and have initiated similar programmes, with varying degrees of success. Bhagidari has received international recognition in the form of the United Nations Public Service Award 2005 for "improving transparency, accountability and responsiveness in public service".
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Recognising that Delhi’s urban problems could not be alleviated with conventional methods of problem solving, Sheila Dikshit unveiled Bhagidari in 2000, to promote broadbased civil participation in local governance.
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NEW YORK Co-organisers:
Prize Sponsor:
Partners:
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BILBAO
AHMEDABAD
BRISBANE
COPENHAGEN
MALMÖ
VANCOUVER
MELBOURNE
KHAYELITSHA
CURITIBA
DELHI
CITIES IN TRANSFORMATION
The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize visual identity design is based on the appropriation of the “ring” symbol, which is commonly used to represent cities on a world map and in atlases. Complemented by graphical shapes of countries, the overall identity design communicates the global perspective of the award and creates a new awareness of the real-life possibility of cities that have benefited from excellent and innovative urban solutions.
THE PRIZE Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is a biennial international award that honours outstanding achievements and contributions to the creation of liveable, vibrant and sustainable urban communities around the world. The Prize seeks to honour cities and their key leaders and organisations for displaying foresight, good governance and innovation in tackling the many urban challenges faced, to bring about social, economic and environmental benefits in a holistic way to their communities.
2012 Laureate New York City
CITIES IN TRANSFORMATION LEE KUAN YEW WORLD CITY PRIZE
2010 Laureate Bilbao
To facilitate the sharing of best practices in urban solutions that are easily replicable across cities, the Prize places an emphasis on practical and cost-effective solutions and ideas, for the benefit of communities around the world. Through this prize, Singapore hopes to promote exemplary thought-leadership and exchange of ideas among cities, so as to spur further innovation in the area of sustainable urban development. The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Laureate is presented with an award certificate, a gold medallion and a cash prize of S$300,000, sponsored by Keppel Corporation.
A FITTING TRIBUTE Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is named after Singapore’s first prime minister and former minister mentor. Mr Lee was instrumental in developing Singapore into a distinctive, clean and green garden city in the short span of a few decades. Under his leadership, the adoption of strategic land use, transport and environmental policies and programmes has helped Singapore to develop into a liveable city with a high quality living environment, in tandem with rapid economic growth. The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is co-organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) and the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC).
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