Lavasa and 21 global cities to solve urban and social challenges

MUMBAI, India - April 12, 2013 - PRLog -- Lavasa and 21 global cities announce the commitment made by 120 innovators to solve their urban and social challenges
Lavasa (Dist Pune):  120 global companies and organizations have pledged their commitment to implementing their high impact solutions to challenges such as social exclusion, energy management, urban dereliction, mobility and health. In a unique global effort 22 forward-thinking cities including Lavasa, London, Barcelona, Paris, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Lagos and Fukuoka opened a competition for innovators to win the opportunity to implement their solutions in a real environment. After a selection process covering 2,535 candidates, 120 providers were invited to present their commitment to partner with cities and help improve the lives of 121 million citizens.
In November 2012 the fourth edition of LLGA|Cities Pilot the Future programme was launched by Citymart.com in partnership with Oracle, the UN Global Compact Cities Programme and The Climate Group. In these one-of-a-kind initiative 22 cities, including Lavasa, publicly published their most pressing urban and social challenges in areas such as social inclusion, health & well-being, economic development, urban management, mobility, lighting, energy and sustainable lifestyles. Lavasa was looking for ways to equip its underprivileged urban population with skills, support and the social uplift needed to become part of the social fabric. Over a 3-month period, Citymart.com researchers identified 2,535 solutions that responded to those challenges. A total of 456 solutions entered a first round of evaluation with the help of 159 expert jurors chosen by the cities. The full list of nominees can be seen here.
Entering the second and final round in the program, 120 companies and organisations of different sizes, such as The Good Life for All, a social enterprise from Brighton (UK), Virtualwaregroup an SME based in Barcelona, Mobcoders, a Danish start-up or Philips, have committed to presenting proposals to invest in the participating cities to demonstrate the viability and impact of their technologies and solutions in real life.
Sascha Haselmayer, CEO of Citymart.com says “LLGA|Cities Pilot the Future has transformed the way cities and the innovation community collaborates. With the announcement of 120 commitments to partner with cities, companies and organizations around the world have shown their enthusiasm and ability to collaborate with cities in solving the most pressing urban and social challenges today.”
The participation of Lavasa, other LLGA city partners and solution providers in LLGA | Cities Pilot the Future represents a joint commitment to spread proven innovations in a more cost-effective and sustainable way, helping build more resilient and smarter communities.  557,000 local governments spend $4.5 trillion each year to deliver the services that shape
the quality of life of the majority of the world’s population. The LLGA initiative helps cities discover innovative, yet ready solutions to meet their problems and matches their commitment to act with the willingness of businesses and organisations to share initial risks. Past editions of LLGA have proven that

this process can deliver solutions to citizens at least 3 times faster and at 80% lower costs by leveraging smart solutions and avoiding re-invention.
Scot Wrighton, City Manager, Lavasa says “LLGA | Cities Pilot the Future is a great opportunity to identify and share solutions to the global challenges that cities are facing. Every city is a world in itself, and we are living in an urban world, this is why it is so important to identify those common problems which require shared solutions.

At Lavasa one o f the most pressing challenges has been to make the underprivileged sections of the local community self reliant. We have conducted vocational training programmes for youth from local villages to impart necessary skills and enable them earn a decent livelihood. On successful completion of training they have been employed across various departments - food production, city management services, engineering, F&B services, administration, housekeeping and maintenance departments of Lavasa and its Special Planning Vehicles (SPVs).

The LLGA | Cities Pilot the Future opens a window of opportunities for Lavasa to accelerate the economic and social progress of the local community. The collaboration with companies / organisations at the forefront of innovation to develop solutions aimed at augmenting skill sets of the local population and thus create new business/ employment avenues will surely help transform their lives.”

On 14-16 May 2013, leaders of the 22 partner cities and the 120 nominated solution providers will come together at the LLGA | Cities Summit in San Francisco to deepen their partnerships, announce the 22 most promising solutions, debate their challenges, and kick-start implementation.  
San Francisco Mayor, Ed Lee, says “San Francisco is excited to be the first city in the United States to host the LLGA | Cities Summit.  San Francisco, as the Innovation Capital of the World, will facilitate a vigorous exchange of ideas and help develop innovative solutions to common urban challenges including transportation, the environment and healthcare that will build a better world.”
About Lavasa:
Lavasa is free India’s first hill city being developed by HCC (Hindustan Construction Company) where people can Live, Work, Learn and Play in harmony with nature. An inclusive city, based on the principles of New Urbanism, it is fast being developed over 23,000 acres of land. It is a 3 hours drive from Mumbai and 1 hour from Pune. Lavasa will host a complement of global leaders in hospitality, tourism, education, healthcare, business research and industry. The hill city provides contemporary yet timeless architectural designs, multiple options for housing like rental housing, apartments and villas. With state of the art infrastructure and amenities, it will enable people to live life in full.

For information about LLGA visit www.llga.org  and www.citymart.com

For more information about The Climate Group visit www.theclimategroup.org


For more information about The UN Global Compact Cities Programme visit www.citiesprogramme.com