- Colab, a mobile application fostering good citizenship through social networking from Recife and São Paulo, Brazil, will replace Walkability as one of the 3 AppMyCity! finalists
- Co-founder of Colab, Gustavo Maia, will present the app to attendees of the New Cities Summit in São Paulo, alongside the 2 other finalists, BuzzJourney from Israel and PublicStuff from New York
- Colab fosters citizenship through social networking, and will now contend for the 5000USD Prize on June 5
São Paulo – Tuesday May 28, 2013. The New Cities Foundation today announced that Colab, a mobile app based in Recife and São Paulo, Brazil, will replace Walkability, an app from Delhi, India, as one of 3 finalists in the running for the 5,000 USD AppMyCity! Prize.
It was announced that Walkability is no longer eligible to be a finalist for the Prize, and that Colab, the fourth candidate, will take its place. Due to unanticipated complications, the representative from Walkability was unable to travel to São Paulo for the New Cities Summit this June 4 -6.
Colab aims to foster a social network to encourage better citizenship. It connects smart citizens to smart cities based on three pillars of interaction: citizens reporting daily urban issues; elaborating and proposing new projects and solutions; and evaluating public services. Utilizing photos and geolocation, Colab encourages transparency and collaboration in city management, enhancing citizen’s urban experience and making the city a better place to live for everyone.
Colab’s co-founder, Gustavo Maia, expressed his elation from Recife:
"Colab is very happy to be selected as one of the finalists for the AppMyCity Prize. It will be an honor to present our social network for citizenship to global leaders in this great event held in our home country this year. We would like to thank New Cities Foundation and everyone involved in the Prize. We are very confident that this is a huge opportunity to start connect smart citizens to more smart cities worldwide."
Mathieu Lefevre, Executive Director of the New Cities Foundation and AppMyCity! Prize Judge, commented: “Colab is an incredibly innovative app that encapsulates the spirit of participation and inclusion that we aim to foster at the New Cities Foundation – a spirit that will run through our New Cities Summit in São Paulo, which we’re dedicating to The Human City. We regret that Walkability’s representatives will not be able to join us in São Paulo, and would like to affirm that this innovative app from Delhi should still be celebrated as one of the excellent semi-finalists for this year’s Prize.”
Colab will join the following two apps in the finalist stage for AppMyCity:
BuzzJourney, a mobile application that allows users to map out efficient transportation options by blending transportation modes: walking, driving, and public transit. The app also facilitates car-sharing, thus promoting environmentally-friendly urban mobility. BuzzJourney currently operates within Israel, but looks to expand internationally.
PublicStuff, a mobile application dedicated to making citizen concerns more visible to local governments. The app transparently communicates public inquiries submitted on cell phones, laptops, and tables to civic leaders, encouraging timely and meaningful community improvements. PublicStuff operates in 200 cities throughout the U.S.
Submission and Judging Processs
The submission period for AppMyCity! Closed on April 26, 2013. 10 semi-finalists were selected by the New Cities Foundation, out of a total of 92 apps that met Prize requirements. An international panel of expert judges voted on the ability of these apps to create widespread impact through their innovative concepts and helpful user interface. The 3 finalists were originally announced on May 13, 2013.
Thanks to the support of Google, the New Cities Foundation will invite the three selected finalists to the invitation-only New Cities Summit, in São Paulo, Brazil from June 4-6. In their final bid to win, the three finalists will present their project live at the Summit on June 5. The winner will be selected by the audience, and announced directly after the presentations. The winner will receive 5,000 USD towards the further development of their app.
To find out more visit www.appmycity.org and www.newcitiessummit2013.org
About the AppMyCity! Prize
The New Cities Foundation’s AppMyCity! Prize celebrates mobile applications that improve the urban experience, connect people, and make cities more fun, fair, vibrant, and sustainable places. This year’s Prize was launched in March 2013 by the New Cities Foundation, with the generous support of Google and in partnership with The Atlantic Cities. The first edition of the Prize took place at the inaugural New Cities Summit in Paris in 2012.
AppMyCity! Prize 2013 – Judging Panel
The judging panel comprises the following 9 experts:
- Monika Byléhn MSc, Strategic Marketing Manager and driver of City Life program, Ericsson AB
- Andrea Calace, Senior Manager, Business Development, Cisco – Industry Solutions
- Maria Teresa Diniz, Executive Coordinator, USP Cidades, University of São Paulo
- Greg Farrett, Executive Director Communications, Global Growth & Operations, GE Europe
- Mathieu Lefevre, Executive Director, New Cities Foundation
- Sommer Mathis, Editor, The Atlantic Cities
- Scott Nazarian, Creative Director, frog
- Adrienne St. Aubin, Public Policy and Government Relations Analyst, Google
- Carolina Tohá, Mayor of Santiago de Chile
AppMyCity! Prize Timeline – 2013
- Winner Announcement: June 5, 2013
The AppMyCity! Prize is organized by the New Cities Foundation.
With the support of: Google, www.google.com
International media partner: The Atlantic Cities, www.theatlanticcities.com
About the New Cities Foundation
The New Cities Foundation is a leading global platform for innovation and high-level exchange on the future of the urban world. Working to create more dynamic, sustainable, just and creative cities with a special focus on rapidly urbanizing regions, the Foundation fosters urban innovations and new partnerships among government, business, the research community and civil society.
The New Cities Foundation hosts a number of leadership events on cities including its flagship event, the New Cities Summit, and other leadership events worldwide. This year’s New Cities Summit will take place in São Paulo, Brazil from June 4 – 6, 2013 around the theme “The Human City”.
In parallel, the Foundation’s research wing, the Urban (co)LAB, manages a number of applied urban research projects including NCF Task Forces and thought leadership activities. On May 8, 2013, The New Cities Foundation launched the first results from a major Task Force on E-health in Rio de Janeiro. In December 2012, the Foundation launched findings of a Task Force on Connected Commuting in San Jose, California.
An independent, non-profit organization, the New Cities Foundation was created in 2010 and is financed by its corporate members. Overall, its members include some of the most forward-thinking companies, universities, cities and city organizations around the world. The New Cities Foundation’s founding members are Cisco, Ericsson and GE. The Foundation is based in Geneva with offices in Paris, New York and Rio de Janeiro.
For more information about the New Cities Foundation, please visit:www.newcitiesfoundation.org
For more information about the New Cities Summit, visit www.newcitiessummit2013.org
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