The winner and two runners-up of the Philips Livable Cities Award have started their projects. You can follow the progress of the recipients – from Yemen, Argentina and Uganda – as they document their process on their blog and video diary. The Philips Livable Cities Award is a “global initiative designed to generate innovative, meaningful and achievable ideas to improve the health and well-being of city-dwellers across the world”. The awardees received grants that will allow them to bring their ideas to life, improving the livability within their local communities.
Continue reading for videos and more information on the three award-winning projects.
Winner: Rainwater Aggregation / Sabrina Faber
As winner, Sabrina Faber from Sana’a, Yemen has received a €75,000 grant to implement an innovative solution for water shortage in Sana’a. The challenge addresses the residents dependency on the polluted water supply due to the shortage, often leading to infection among the young and elderly. Faber’s solution proposes the use of existing flat rooftop structures to capture, filter and store rainwater. The integration of cisterns would provide residents with 10,000 to 50,000 liters of clean, dependable water for domestic use annually. Preview an introduction to Faber’s project in the video above and check out her first blog update here.
Runner-Up: Plaza Movil / Manuel Rapoport
Manuel Rapoport has received a €25,000 grant to create portable street parks for overcrowded Buenos Aires in Argentina. His project focuses on the lack of outdoor space within the city of Buenos Aires, proposing a safe alternative that gives residents a place to relax and socialize. The proposal will provide facilities for relaxation, games, sport and social activities within a portable park that will take over the streets as they will close down for pedestrians on weekends and during public holidays. The video above is Rapoport’s first video diary. View his first blog entry and schematic renderings here.
Runner-Up: Shade Stands / James Kityo
As runner-up, the €25,000 grant will allow James Kityo of Kampala, Uganda to provide shelter and health information stands for his community. The proposal will protect residents from harsh weather conditions, as the Shade Stands will become shelter from Kampala’s torrential rain and intense heat. Not only will the stands serves as shelter, but they will be used for health education. View Kityo’s first video diary above and find his first blog entry here.
