In 2009 the Göteborg Award celebrates its ten year jubilee. Our jubilee prize, one million Swedish crowns, is shared equally between Dr. Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Nairobi, Kenya, Enrique Peñalosa, Bogotá, Colombia and Sören Hermansen, Samsö, Denmark.

Each one comes from a separate continent and they are, locally and globally, knowledgeable, engaged and impatient doers. They are ambassadors for one of the most decisive factors for humanity ‐ the battle for sustainable development in the cities and towns around the globe.

These urban environments are already home to half the people in the world, they represent 75 percent of all energy consumption and generate 80 percent of all greenhouse gases. The problems are extremely complex and require urgent but long‐term stable solutions.