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Connected Government, Local Government

World City Prize winner revealed

By Robin Hicks | 21 May 2010

The inaugural Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize has been awarded to Bilbao. The Spanish city famous for the Guggenheim art museum was picked from 78 nominations from 32 countries for a “knowledge revolution” that transformed a fading post-industrial city into a vibrant culture and business hub.

A special mention went to the City of Melbourne and the Chief Minister of New Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, for her efforts in modernising the Indian capital. The award, which is organised by Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Centre for Liveable Cities, is based on four key criteria – liveability, vibrancy, sustainability, and quality of life.

“By 2050, 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in cities,” said Cheong Koon Hean, CEO of the URA and a member of the Nominating Committee. “How cities stand up to this challenge depends on foresight, good governance, planning, sustainability, and innovation.”

Ibon Areso, Deputy Mayor of Bilbao City Hall, who gave a presentation on Bilbao’s story at the URA’s headquarters last week (May 18th 2010), said that the Basque city’s rejuvenation has been driven by a “knowledge revolution” that began in the 1980s. Then, Bilbao’s traditional industries were collapsing, unemployment was high (25 per cent) and infrastructure was crumbling.

But over a 25-year period, and after 25 major urban redevelopment projects, Bilbao, a city of 353,000 in habitants, now has the highest GDP per capita of any city in Spain. Production of high-tech products has risen to 50 per cent of all exports. Unemployment has fallen from 25 per cent to eight per cent. “We have had to reinvent this city, and not just once,” Areso told FutureGov.

Central to Bilbao’s success was its ability to align strategic objectives and vision between stakeholders; government, business and community sectors. A collaboration model called the Bilbao Ria 2000 oversaw public-private partnerships to ensure the city projects were well implemented.

One of the more notable projects was the building of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in 1989, which has helped transform the city into a major European cultural centre. “We asked the public if they wanted the museum. Ninety per cent said no. But we went ahead with it anyway,” said Jon Azua, the Former Deputy Prime Minister of the Basque Government. “This goes to show that citizen participation must be managed.”

“This is not the end of our mission. It is a step forward in better serving our citizens in a new world,” Areso added. “And the new world is the world of knowledge.”

The Bilbao representatives were asked if he had any advice for the builders of China’s fast-growing cities. Azua said: “You need a comprehensive long-term strategy. You need strong public-public as well as public-private partnerships. You need economic sense. And you need strong leadership. If not, you will fail.”

“And above all, never try to copy what you see in the outside world. You need to stay faithful to your own mission and your own culture.”

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