Livable Cities Awards Enable Healthy Urban Infrastructure

In 2011, Dutch electronics company Philips announced the three winners of its Livable Cities Awards.

Recently, Philips released an update on the implementation progress of the three winning projects, which were selected out of a pool of 450 proposals and span three continents.

Sabrina Faber's Rainwater Aggregation Scheme installed 25 rainwater collection systems on rooftops in Sana'a, Yemen's capital, which suffers from water shortages and drought, with plans to expand to other cities.

James Kityo's Shade Stands installed 45 bus shelters featuring health-related displays in Kampala, Uganda, with plans to provide shading infrastructure to other parts of the world.

Manuel Rapoport's Plaza Movil debuted at Technopolis, a technology fair in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The modular plaza creates an impromptu pedestrian open space outfitted with places to sit and play in public areas.

The awards were motivated by findings of the Philips Index on health and well-being, which conducted initial studies on what matters most to people when it comes to their overall well-being in the United States, Brazil and China. Health and emotional happiness topped the list.

The awards sought to encourage individuals, businesses and communities to implement achievable projects that improve their living environments.