Together with an international committee of development experts and organizations working on environmentally friendly transportation, ITDP invites you to nominate your city for the 10th Annual Sustainable Transport Award. Nominations are now open and will be accepted online at staward.org until September 12, 2014.

Established in 2005, the Sustainable Transport Award recognizes profound leadership and vision in sustainable transportation and urban livability, and is presented to a city each January for achievements in the preceding year. Nominations are accepted from any interested parties, including government, civil society organizations, and academic institutions who have a working knowledge of the city’s projects and can provide verifiable data and contact information for the city.

The award is given each year to a city that has implemented innovative transport strategies in the preceding year. These strategies should improve mobility for all residents, reduce transportation greenhouse and air pollution emissions, and enhance safety and access for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Last year’s winner, Buenos Aires, implemented many projects in 2013 that have improved livability, mobility, and quality of life for its citizens. The city redesigned the iconic 9th de Julio avenue with bus-only lanes for a high-quality bus rapid transit (BRT) system, including 17 stations along the median accommodating 11 bus lines. Additionally, Buenos Aires opened a new 23-kilometer BRT corridor, Metrobus Sur, and has transformed dozens of blocks in the city center into an environment that encourages walking and cycling over driving.

“Buenos Aires took the world’s widest avenue, with more than 20 lanes of car traffic, and transformed it into a world-class BRT corridor, cutting travel time in half for more than 200,000 commuters per day.” said Walter Hook, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. “The downtown area, known as the microcentro, is a completely new pedestrian experience. They city reconstructed the streetscape with seating, bollards, way finding, and redesigned intersections that give priority to the pedestrian. This sends a powerful message that this is a city for people, not just for cars.”

The 2015 winner will be announced at an evening reception during the Transport Research Board’s Annual Conference in January 2015 in Washington, DC. Finalists will be notified by November 1, 2014.

Past winners of the Sustainable Transport Award:

Buenos Aires, Argentina (2014), Mexico City, México (2013), Medellín, Colombia & San Francisco, United States (2012); Guangzhou, China (2011);  Ahmedabad, India (2010); New York City, USA (2009); London, UK (2008); Paris, France (2008); Guayaquil, Ecuador (2007); Seoul, South Korea (2006), and Bogotá, Colombia (2005).

The finalists and winner are chosen by a Committee that includes the most respected experts and organizations working internationally on sustainable transportation. The Committee includes:

• The World Bank
• Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP)
• EMBARQ, The World Resources Institute Center for Sustainable Transport
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)
• Clean Air Initiative – Asia
• Clean Air Institute
• Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)
• ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
• Despacio

See staward.org to learn more and to nominate your city!