International Reputation

Yokohama’s sustainable urban development via public and private partnerships and the utilization of its experiences in this area in international technical cooperation activities are highly regarded abroad.

Economic Development Category Award for the Place Marketing Awards (2019, Place Marketing Forum)

At the Place Marketing Forum held in Lille (France) in 2019, we received a Place Marketing Award in the Economic Development Category.

The Place Marketing Forum was established by the Institute of Public Management and Territorial Governance at Aix-Marseille University with the approval of the local French municipality. The Forum brings together intellectuals and experts to share their knowledge on promoting regional charms. The Place Marketing Awards are given to promotion activities that make use of unique regional characteristics.

Notable points

The City of Yokohama was highly commended for its promotion of its Yokohama Partnership of Resources and Technologies (Y-PORT) projects aimed at solving urban issues of emerging countries and also for its revitalization of its economy by utilizing its experiences in urban development and the technologies and know-how of companies in Yokohama.

C40 Cities Award　–Yokohama Smart City Project was awarded with ”Clean Energy” Section Award-（2016・C40）

The City of Yokohama received the C40 Cities Award for its Yokohama Smart City Project, which utilizes collaboration with citizens and private firms. The award was presented by C40, which is a network of global cities such as London and Paris that promotes climate change measures. It was the first time for a Japanese city to receive an award in the Clean Energy category.

●Notable points

〇 In collaboration with private firms in Yokohama, the City promoted the introduction of renewable energy and conducted a feasibility study for advanced energy management.

〇 The City of Yokohama established the Yokohama Smart Business Association as a public-private partnership organization utilizes advanced technologies to promote the realization of a resilient environmentally and economically advanced city.

C40 website (Intorudction of the City of Yokohama)

Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize (2014,Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore)

The City of Yokohama was awarded “Special Mention” at the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Forum in World Cities Summit 2014 held in Singapore.

The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is a biennial international award that honors outstanding achievements and contributions to the creation of liveable, vibrant and sustainable urban communities around the world. This award is co-organized by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) and the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC).

Notable points

The City of Yokohama was highly commended for its ongoing activities in solving urban issues via an excellent partnership with its citizens and stakeholders, especially its coalition with private companies in the Minato Mirai 21 project over the past 40 years and its collaboration with its residents to reduce waste.

Following the reception held at the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize event, two overseas experts wrote reviews on Yokohama’s urban policies:

World Smart City Awards, City Category (2011)

At the Smart City Expo & World Congress 2011 held in Barcelona, Spain, from November 29 to December 2, 2011, the City of Yokohama received the “World Smart City Award” in the City Category, organized by the said congress.

The awards were determined from more than 100 applications from 19 countries by the selection board consisting of external experts from the World Bank, international funds based in Europe, etc. The awards have three categories and the City of Yokohama was awarded in the City Category, along with a transportation control project in Nice, France was awarded in the Project Category, and a water management system by a private business in Spain in the Solution Category.

Notable points

Yokohama’s efforts to realize a low-carbon society, such as the Yokohama Smart City Project, were highly regarded.

Eco2 City (2009, The World Bank)

In 2009, the World Bank proposed the Ecological Cities as Economic Cities (Eco2 Cities) Initiative for solution of urban problems in developing countries. Yokohama was selected as one of the first six Eco2 cities embodying success in this respect.

The Initiative is a strategy for urban development aimed at sustainable city-building through harmonization of ecological and economic ends. It assists developing countries in their programs of development while systematically incorporating successful precedents from Eco2 cities around the world.

Notable points

Through the promotion of the Yokohama G30 Plan, the City of Yokohama achieved a drastic reduction in its waste with the cooperation of its citizens and other stakeholders and this achievement was highly commended.

Yokohama was selected as one of the first six Eco2 cities embodying success in this respect.

In addition to its record of achievement, the existence of many companies with excellent environmental technology in Japan led to the choice of Yokohama as the site of the first international conference of Eco2 cities in October 2010 (Eco2 2010 Yokohama International Conference on Eco2 Cities).

In accordance with the Yokohama Declaration adopted at the Conference, Yokohama is committed to international contribution in partnership with the World Bank and JICA, which provides assistance to developing countries.