By Jocelyn Bogen
February 12, 2007

The United States Conference of Mayors-Waste Management 2007 City Livability Awards Program opened in early February with the mailing of the application and guidelines to mayors of cities of 30,000 or more.

“The City Livability Awards Program highlights mayors who believe in improving the quality of life for their residents in innovative and creative ways. Cities are the economic, cultural and social engines of America, and the Conference of Mayors welcomes this opportunity to showcase successful programs that are making a difference in people’s lives in communities all across the nation. ” said Conference of Mayors President Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer.

In the words of David Steiner, Chief Executive Officer of Waste Management, “Environmental stewardship is serious business at Waste Management, and we see people all over the country taking ownership of the health and well-being of their own communities. Being a sponsor of the City Livability Awards for the past 18 years has given us the opportunity to recognize the efforts of communities that do two things our company believes in very deeply: respecting our environment and helping our city neighborhoods thrive. Cities like Irvine (CA), where volunteers have turned an abandoned plot into productive farmland that helps feed its needy citizens — exhibit the kind of green thinking and innovative leadership that makes us proud to partner with The U.S. Conference of Mayors in these awards.”

City Livability Awards honor mayors and their cities for outstanding programs that contribute to the quality of life of their citizens. Participating cities will submit an initial application of 500 words, due on Friday, March 2, that briefly describes their program, and indicates when and why it was created, how it has improved the quality of life of the community, and why it is outstanding or innovative.

From these initial applications, about 20 finalist cities in each of two population categories will be selected. These finalist cities will then submit a more detailed application, due on April 23. An independent panel of judges will select the winners in May. Award winners will be announced in June at the 75th Annual Conference of Mayors in Los Angeles

The 20 City Livability Awards are presented in two population categories — ten awards to cities of less than 100,000 people, ten for cities of 100,000 or more.

Every municipality in the United States is eligible to nominate one or more city government programs in any policy area, regardless of whether the municipality has applied for or received a City Livability Award in previous years. All programs initiated by the city government are eligible, including those developed and implemented in cooperation with private sector and/or community group participation.

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, last year’s recipient of the First-Place City Livability Award for cities over 100,000, said, “I’m extremely proud to receive this award on behalf of the entire city of Chicago and all of our bicycling enthusiasts. In Chicago we recognize that bicycling is good for our health, our pocketbooks and good for the environment. This is the third time Chicago has received this award and it’s gratifying to know that we are one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the nation. We have over 50 miles of bike paths, 100 miles of designated bike lanes on our city streets and some 10,000 bike racks, more than any city in the United States. We released our ‘Bike 2015 Plan’ in last summer which is designed to make cycling an even more important part of Chicago life than it is today.In Chicago, bicycling reduces traffic congestion, conserves limited energy resources, incorporates healthy physical activity into everyday life and reduces transportation costs. Our bicycling initiatives and facilities will continue to rival those of any large city in world. We thank The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Waste Management for recognizing our efforts.”

Euless (TX) Mayor Mary Lib Saleh, who received the First-Place Award in 2006 for cities under 100,000 stated, “In our effort to reduce, reuse and recycle items in Euless and reduce the amount of waste going in to the landfill, an alternative method of dealing with waste was created. Compost-ology, The Science and Fun of Backyard Composting taught residents beneficial alternatives to landfilling yard waste and ways to improve their soil through natural waste reduction. Euless is most appreciative of The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Waste Management for the recognition of our composting educational program. The recognition that comes with the City Livability Award sparked so much more interest in the program that we will continue to educate our citizens and schools.”