The award recognizes and celebrates creative solutions to problems and opportunities facing urban dwellers and seeks to encourage all urban stakeholders to take a proactive role in creating shared responsibility for the cities of the 21st century.
In 2007, it was presented jointly to two projects in Mumbai and in 2008 to a project in São Paulo. It travelled to Istanbul in 2009 and most recently Mexico City in 2010. The award is associated with the Urban Age project, a worldwide investigation into the future of cities jointly initiated by Deutsche Bank's Alfred Herrhausen Society and LSE Cities at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Entries for the award are judged on a per project basis, which means that organisations may enter multiple projects for consideration.
An independent jury of international and local members from a mix of disciplines will judge the award. The three international jury members are Prof Ricky Burdett, director of LSE Cities, the former mayor of Washington DC, Tony Williams and architect Enrique Norten (TEN Arquitetos, Mexico/NY).
Edgar Pieterse, director of the African Centre for Cities at UCT chairs the jury with local jury members, Nomfundo Walaza, CEO of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, poet, playwright and performer Malika Ndlovu and CEO of the Cape Town Partnership, Andrew Boraine.
Speaking at the launch press conference held this week in Cape Town, MD of Deutsche Bank's Alfred Herrhausen Society, Wolfgang Nowak said, "The Urban Age Award aims to uncover the invisible and the unseen. It is about making citizens aware that they can be the change they want and it is about showcasing Cape Town as a city that is trying to overcome urban challenges positively."
Application forms are available online at www.DBUAaward.net and will be distributed to communities via local libraries and community centres.
