The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) is now inviting entries for its AIPH World Green City Awards, an ongoing competition designed to champion nature-oriented approaches to city design and operations. Entries are open until March 14th, 2022.
The AIPH World Green City Awards 2022 will recognize initiatives relying on a greater use of plants and nature to create better city environments. The six award categories for 2022 are:
- Living Green for Health and wellbeing – addressing the medical, behavioural, and social determinants of health for residents;
- Living Green for Climate change – tackling the root causes and effects of climate change in order to build more liveable and resilient cities;
- Living Green for Economic recovery and inclusive growth – creating systems and solutions that allow all city residents to overcome economic distress and to thrive;
- Living Green for Biodiversity – addressing the loss of species, habitats, ecosystem health, and genetic diversity;
- Living Green for Water – ensuring water resources are safeguarded and wisely used, with clean water available to all while also protecting residents from flooding risks; and,
- Living Green for Social cohesion – fostering belonging, trust, and inter-generational as well as cross-cultural relationships to prevent exclusion, marginalisation, and violence.
AIPH provides a number of resources for cities and local authorities who are seeking to “green” their environments. In their Green City Programme, they promote the essential role of plants in creating vibrant urban areas and are aiming to develop an international standard for green cities. The AIPH 2020 Green City Guidelines have been drawn up to provide decision-makers with the essential information they need to understand and communicate the benefits of investing in urban green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. The Green City Principles present ‘living green’ as a fundamental solution to many of the challenges faced by municipalities today.