ITDP, together with an international committee of development and transport experts, invites you to nominate your city for the Sustainable Transport Award.  

Nominations accepted March 1st-31st, 2019 at staward.org.

Does your city deserve more recognition for new transport, street design, or policy improvements that increase mobility and improve quality of life for your residents? The Sustainable Transport Award is a unique, global recognition conferred by a committee of international experts in sustainable transport and development that supports the often-unrecognized progress happening on the ground.

Anyone with city contact info and details of projects can submit a nomination, which can take as little as a few minutes. If your city is selected for the second round, more details will be requested.

Since 2005, the Sustainable Transport Award has recognized courageous leadership and vision in sustainable transportation and urban livability. These strategies should improve mobility for all residents, reduce transportation greenhouse and air pollution emissions, and enhance safety and access for bicyclists and pedestrians. Nominations are welcome from any interested parties, but typically include government, civil society organizations, and academic institutions. Nominations must include verifiable project data and contact information for the city.

Cities of all sizes from all over the world have been recognized by the committee for best practices in sustainable transport. Past winners include:

• Fortaleza, Brazil
• Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• Santiago, Chile
• Yichang, China
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Paris, France
• Mexico City, México
• San Francisco, United States
• Ahmedabad, India
• Bogotá, Colombia

A complete list of winning cities with details on their win is available at staward.org.

The 2019 winner, Fortaleza, Brazil, was selected for its multi-year program of street transformation, including complete streets with more equitable division of road space among users, and reductions in emissions and road safety by prioritizing public transport, cycling, and walking. In 2018, they reached a total of 108 km of dedicated bus lanes, refurbished bus terminals, and fare integration. They complemented this with a massive 225 km of cycling infrastructure, integrated bike share with public transport, and cut road deaths by over a third in 3 years.

In June 2019, Fortaleza will host MOBILIZE, a transport summit held each year in the winning city. MOBILIZE brings together 200 international urban transport and development planners, practitioners, and officials, world-class researchers, and NGO representatives to share strategies, challenges, research and study the example of Dar es Salaam as an international best practice in sustainable transport. The winner of the 2019 STA is where the summit goes next year.

“The Sustainable Transport Award is about celebrating bold vision and momentous changes that improve quality of life for people in cities. In the nearly 15 year history of the award, the nominees have often included cities doing great work under the radar,” says Michael Kodransky, chair of the STA Committee, “There are so many inspiring changes happening on the ground in cities that aren’t known as having the usual transport best practices. The STA and MOBILIZE are great vehicles for recognizing political courage and showcasing the latest achievements. It’s also a great opportunity for those of us working in sustainable transport to learn from innovative approaches, which are shared with a global cohort of transport and development leaders at MOBILIZE”.

The 2020 winner will be announced at MOBILIZE Fortaleza on June 26, 2019. The winner and honorable mentions will be recognized at a ceremony and reception in Washington, DC during the Transport Research Board conference the following January.