2021 Global Mayors Challenge: Which are the 50 Champion Cities?

Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the cities that will continue in the competition

On Tuesday 15 June, Bloomberg Philanthropies revealed the 50 Champion Cities which will continue into the final stage of the 2021 Global Mayors Challenge. This year, the challenge focuses on innovative solutions and actions pertaining to the global pandemic and health crisis. According to Bloomberg Cities, mayors from 631 cities and 99 countries applied in the 2021 challenge.

50 cities from 29 countries and 6 continents will continue

The 50 Champion Cities which will move on to the next and last stage of the Global Mayors Challenge come from 29 countries and 6 continents. Taking this further, 6 of the 50 cities are located in EU member states. To get this far, each of the 50 champions has proven that they have innovative and ground-breaking ideas in relation to the COVID pandemic.

Commenting on the champions and their ideas, the founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies Michael R. Bloomberg shared: “These 50 finalists are showing the world that, in the face of the pandemic’s enormous challenges, cities are rising to meet them with bold, innovative, and ambitious ideas.

By helping these cities test their ideas over the coming months, we will have a chance to identify cutting-edge policies and programs that can allow cities to rebuild in ways that make them stronger and healthier, and more equal and more just.”

Different ideas based on geographical locations

It is interesting to note that the submitted applications revealed a trend as countries from different continents focused on different subjects. Taking a case in point, ideas relating to racial justice were most commonly seen in applications from the US. Moreover, European applicants focused on social inclusion while candidates from Africa explored infrastructure and urbanisation.

Nevertheless, Bloomberg Cities reports that most cities focused on actions that enhanced public health and reduced unemployment. In other words, the majority of applicants dealt with the two major consequences of last year’s COVID outbreak.

Which cities are moving on to the final stage?

Bloomberg Philanthropies announced that the 50 Champion Cities which will continue in the 2021 Global Mayors Challenge are:

Akron, Amman, Auckland, Baltimore, Bilbao, Birmingham, Bogotá, Butuan, Cape Town, Cartagena, Columbus, Danané, Daegu, Durham, Freetown, Glasgow, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Istanbul, Kigali, Kumasi, La Paz, Lansing, Leuven, London, Long Beach, Louisville, Lusaka, Manila, Meru, New Orleans, Newark, Paris, Paterson, Phoenix, Pune, Recife, Renca, Rio de Janeiro, Rochester, Rosario, Rotterdam, Rourkela, San Jose, Taipei, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tunja, Umuaka, Vilnius, and Wellington.