Bloomberg announces winning cities in 2021-2022 mayors’ challenge

“As the world works to address the profound public health and economic effects of the ongoing pandemic, cities can implement innovative ideas at a pace that national governments simply can’t match,” said Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg who was 108th mayor of New York City.

He added: “Our 15 winners offer bold, achievable plans to improve health, reduce unemployment, empower women, and more. Collectively, they have the potential to improve millions of their residents’ lives – and the most successful solutions will inspire cities around the world to embrace them.”

The 15 winning projects are:

Africa (20 per cent of winning cities)

• Freetown, Sierra Leone: created a vibrant new digital marketplace supporting tree maintenance and the urban canopy using digital technologies
• Kigali, Rwanda: introduced a smart-waste system that improves sanitation and water quality in the city
• Kumasi, Ghana: addressed waste-management and youth unemployment crises by training young people to install toilets.

Asia-Pacific (20 per cent of winning cities)

• Butuan, Philippines: strengthened local food production by empowering farmers to make smarter decisions through a new agri-business model
• Rourkela, India: provided cold-storage units to women co-ops to empower female food vendors, reduce food waste, and increase access to fresh foods
• Wellington, New Zealand: created a virtual twin of the city that helps residents to better understand climate change impacts, promoting resident action.

Europe (20 per cent of winning cities)

• Istanbul, Turkey: fostered city-wide mutual aid through a programme that crowdsources contributions to meet basic needs for those in need
• Rotterdam, Netherlands: used digital tokens to create incentives for local businesses to hire vulnerable residents
• Vilnius, Lithuania: took lessons learned during Covid to create more resilient K-12 education models, especially those that tap the “city as a classroom”.

South America (seven per cent of winning cities)

• Bogota, Colombia: created “care blocks” that support female caretakers, shifting more of the care burden to men, and more unpaid care work to paid care work.

Middle East (seven per cent of winning cities)

• Amman, Jordan: mapped available public assets and service infrastructure to improve the city’s emergency response and infrastructure investments.

North America (26 per cent of winning cities)

• Hermosillo, Mexico: created eco-friendly employment opportunities that benefit both the environment and underemployed women
• Paterson, New Jersey: responded to residents struggling with Opioid Use Disorder by fulfilling requests for lifesaving medication within 90 minutes through a coordinated effort among police, first responders, hospitals, and pharmacies
• Phoenix, Arizona: combatted rising unemployment – especially among people lacking Internet access – by creating mobile units that provide job seekers access to resources, training, and opportunities
• Rochester, Minnesota: brought more women of colour into high-paying construction jobs by coordinating with contractors and facilitating trainings.

The 2021-2022 Global Mayors Challenge builds on the success of four previous Bloomberg Philanthropies Challenges in the US (2013 and 2018), Europe (2014), and Latin America and the Caribbean (2016). Previous winners include:

• Providence Talks (2013, Providence, Rhode Island, USA), a project  that aims to increase the number of words children from low-income families hear each day in order to support healthy brain development and prepare them for school. It is currently being implemented in five additional US cities
• Biochar (2014, Stockholm, Sweden), a  project to convert plant waste into biochar to encourage plant growth, which will be replicated in 16 additional European cities
• Visor Urbano (2016, Guadalajara, Mexico), a programme that decreases corruption by creating transparency in the permitting process for new businesses and buildings, that will be replicated by 61 additional cities in Latin America.