Successful conclusion of the Metropolis Board of Directors and Guangzhou Innovation Awards: leading towards Johannesburg

The 2012 Metropolis Board of Directors meeting held in Guangzhou was officially brought to a close on the 17 November, hosting over 500 national and international participants and urban thought leaders. One year after the launch of the Metropolis Initiatives, Guangzhou became the perfect occasion to present the Initiatives progress to encourage further participation, partnerships and peer evaluation. The event also unveiled the five winners of the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation co-organized by the City of Guangzhou, Metropolis and UCLG. The next Metropolis Annual meeting will be held in Johannesburg during July 2013.

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Urban Innovation was the major theme of the 2012 event which culminated at the Political Forum on Governance and Innovation when Mayors discussed on how the new life styles, aspirations and heightened expectations and demands for quality of life are now influencing new and innovative urban and metropolitan public policies. 

One year after the launch of the Metropolis Initiatives, Guangzhou served as milestone to the Metropolis Initiatives, where series of activities encouraged further participation of interested cities, partners and peer evaluations to review the current status of Metropolis Initiatives.  

The Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation, co-organized by the City of Guangzhou, Metropolis and UCLG, granted a global recognition to five successful practices in urban innovation carried out by: Kocaeli (Turkey), Lilongwe (Malawi), Seoul (South Korea), Vancouver (Canada) and Vienna (Austria). The participation of the fifteen nominated cities was highlighted at Guangzhou International Exhibition on Urban Innovation, in additions to the achievements made by Guangzhou in urban innovation.

The Metropolis Board of Directors meeting concluded the event. Among the decisions taken the Initiative on “Green Economy” proposed by the City of Buenos Aires was approved, also the transfer of the Metropolis Training Institute from Montreal to Seoul and the creation of two new Institute Antennas in Mexico City and Porto Alegre. A task force for local governments to take the lead regarding the sustainable urban financing towards Habitat III was created. Metropolis currently has 140 members, ten of which formalized their membership at the Board of Directors Guangzhou: Buenos Aires (City), Kaoshing, Lahore, Gujranwala, Fuzhou, Kunming, Xian, Shenzen, Karaj and Medellin.

In addition to the Statutory Meetings and the Initiatives’ meetings, the Global Fund for Cities Development (FMDV) organized its Strategic meeting and its Board meeting the Metropolis Women’s’ International Network gathered its Antennas.

Information related to presentations, events, pictures and will soon be available at the Metropolis website.

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