Professor Carol Archer tapped for global sustainable cities award jury

Professor Carol Archer has been invited to serve as one of seven international jurors for the fourth cycle of the Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities, known as the Shanghai Award, in China.

Archer will travel to Shanghai from August 24 to 29, where she will join the international panel responsible for reviewing and assessing applications from cities and municipalities across the world.

Established in 2022, the Shanghai Award is an international recognition jointly created by UN-Habitat and the Shanghai Municipality to highlight cities making significant progress in implementing the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda.

The award is focused on Sustainable Development Goal 11, which seeks to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

It also aims to encourage the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals, support the Global Development Initiative and promote systematic solutions to the challenges of sustainable urban development.

As a member of the international jury, Archer will review applications from around the world, provide written assessments and scores, and help recommend cities for the award.

Her invitation to serve on the seven-member panel is being viewed as recognition of her work in sustainable city planning in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, as well as her contribution to the field at the global level.

The Shanghai Award also serves as a platform for advancing UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan, flagship programmes and the Global Urban Monitoring Framework.

The selection of winning cities is intended not only to recognise successful urban development initiatives but also to highlight models that can help other municipalities address the increasingly complex challenges of rapid urbanisation, sustainability and resilience.