And The Winners Are…

Last year Philips organized a competition to find great ideas for the livable city of tomorrow. Three winners have been announced. They all receive a great money prize to make their ideas happen. With this competition Philips aims to support good initiatives for cities since the company develops new technologies and products to improve cities. The winners of the Philips Livable Cities Award are from Yemen, Argentina and Uganda, which stresses that urban innovations are definitely not bound to the problems that Western World cities are facing.

The winning projects aim to improve the day-to-day lives of citizens in their respective communities. Philips believes that by enhancing livability on a local level, small-scale projects like these have the ability to change lives through meaningful, innovative solutions, benefiting the wider community as a whole. And the winners are…

Number 1: Sabrina Faber from Sana’a in Yemen. Through her Rainwater Aggregation Scheme, Sabrina hopes to help solve the water shortages commonly experienced in the city during dry spells, whilst providing clean drinking water. This could potentially result in significant health benefits for the whole population.

Number 2: Manuel Rapoport from Buenos Aires. With his Plaza Movil Street Park Manuel will see Buenos Aires’ streets temporarily closed to traffic during weekends and public holidays. Portable playground equipment and benches will be used to convert the streets into recreational spaces for people of all ages.

Number 3: James Kityo from Kampala in Uganda who invented the so-called Shade Stands, that will protect people waiting for the bus from the burning sun. The Shade Stands will provide vital protection, particularly for nursing mothers, babies and the elderly as well as showcasing health education information for the public.