5 cities awarded in 5th Guangzhou Awards, Odisha bags ‘Online Popular City’

NEW DELHI: Chongqing, China; Union of Dannieh Municipalities, Lebanon; Quito, Ecuador; Vienna, Austria; and Saint Louis, Senegal, were awarded 5^th Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation this year. Odisha, India bagged the title for ‘Best Online City’. The event was organised on November 12, by Guangzhou Foreign Affairs Office.

Guangzhou along with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and Metropolis, created and began the Guangzhou Award in 2012. The event is held every two years and attracts participation from more than 150 cities and has so far collected more than 1300 cases of urban governance.

Vienna, Austria won the award due to its efforts towards making the city young and growing with the help of engagement from youth and children into city decision-making and management. It had also rolled out an innovation plan-Werkstadt Junges Wien for the inclusion of children and young people at the heart of policy-making in city administration. Chongqing from China showed innovative emergency solutions to the problem of pandemic-related urban medical waste disposal. Quito From Ecuador bagged the award for designing an eco-efficiency tool for the metropolitan district of Quito. An efficient COVID-19 emergency response plan was the key behind awarding the Union of Dannieh Municipalities, Lebanon. Last, but not least, Saint Louis from Senegal won the award for the inter-municipal approach for the protection of mangrove forests.

Odisha from India, which bagged the award for ‘Online Popular City’, was lauded for its Urban Wage Employment Initiative. Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik congratulated the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of Odisha. The awards aim to recognise the innovations for the improvement of social, economic and environmental sustainability in the cities.