Medellin, Colombia’s second-largest city, won the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize in July 2016, an award for urban transformation presented to Medellin Mayor Federico Gutiérrez at the World Cities Summit in Singapore.
The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is considered the Nobel Prize of urban planning and the world’s most important award for urban development. It is presented to cities that have successfully developed major urban projects with different aspects of planning, transformation, renovation and even projects with social objectives. Awarded every 2 years, it honors outstanding contributions to the creation of vibrant, livable and sustainable urban areas. In 2014, the city of Suzhou in China won the prize. In 2012, New York City was the winner and Bilbao in 2010. This 2016, over 110 cities entered the competition. By the final phase, only 38 entrants remained, and only 5 in the final round. The cities of Auckland (New Zealand), Toronto (Canada), Sydney (Australia) and Vienna (Austria) were also rewarded with a special mention. Today, Medellin is a true example in terms of the development of urban projects aimed at improving the quality of life of its inhabitants. In order to take part in this competition, Medellin has implemented a number of projects, including
- Parques del Rio
- Unidades de Vida Articulada
- Circunvalar Garden
the cable car, libraries and numerous mechanical installations were other factors that contributed to the city’s victory in this competition. Finally, the participation of city dwellers in Medellin’s projects, such as the « Yo quiero a Medellin » (=I love Medellin) campaign, played an important role in the city’s first-place finish. This prize is a real source of pride for the city , which has demonstrated its great capacity for evolution and change. Just 20 years ago, Medellin was considered one of the most violent cities in the world. Today, in addition to no longer appearing on the international registers of violence, it is a fine example of innovation and urbanization. In addition to the recognition it has received, Medellin also received 300,000 US dollars.
