2019 Wellbeing Cities Award

Meet our 2019 laureate cities

Scroll down for more details on the finalists

In the summer of 2018, NewCities launched the first ever Wellbeing Cities Award, in partnership with the Novartis Foundation, Novartis US Foundation, the City of Montréal, and in collaboration with the Toyota Mobility Foundation, Transdev and the U.S. Green Building Council.

More than 115 participating cities from 30 countries across 5 continents applied throughout the year. After a two-round selection process, a jury selected the laureats to be recognized at the inaugural Wellbeing Cities Forum. 250 urban leaders gathered in Montréal on June 19-20, 2019 showcasing innovative and inspiring solutions from around the world.

Laureate cities, Milan, Pune, Kigali, Lisbon, and Santa Monica actively transform urban life by investing in public health, strong communities, a thriving and sustainable environment, and local economy. Their success stories proves what can be achieved when cities focus on creating a better quality of life for the community.

Scroll down for more details on the finalist and laureate cities, their selected initiatives, and access op-eds by the laureate cities’ mayors.

Governance of the 2019 Wellbeing Cities Award

Advisory Board

The 2019 Wellbeing Cities Award was advised and guided by an Advisory Board composed of urban experts, each with keen insight into a particular sphere of urban wellbeing. The Advisory Board was chaired by Dr. Ann Aerts, Head of the Novartis Foundation and John Rossant, Founder of NewCities.

Members of the Advisory Board

• Amy Fry, President of the Novartis U.S. Foundation
• Caspar Herzberg, President of Middle East & Africa Region, Schneider Electric & Author, Smart Cities, Digital Nations
• Vatsal Bhatt, Director of Cities and Communities at the U.S. Green Building Council
• Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director, Center for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, OECD
• Jeff Risom, Partner, Chief Innovation Officer, Gehl Architects
• Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford, President of the International Society for Urban Health, Professor of Global Health at NYU

Jury 

The 2019 laureates of the Wellbeing Cities Award were selected by an esteemed jury of experts composed of:

• Arianna Huffington, CEO, Thrive Global
• Dr. Aisa Kirabo Kacyira, Former Deputy Executive Director and Assistant Secretary-General, UN Habitat
• Daniel Libeskind, Architect and Founder, Studio Libeskind