AIPH announces Technical Panel of judges for World Green City Awards 2022

Twenty-three multi-disciplinary experts from around the globe have been selected to join the Technical Panel to assess and score the entries received for the inaugural AIPH World Green City Awards.

Organised by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), the awards celebrate innovation, achievement, and commitment to using nature-based solutions to help address the major challenges facing cities.

Boasting representatives from around the world with an advanced knowledge of Green City principles, plants, and nature-based solutions, AIPH presents the members of the esteemed Technical Panel:

• Anne Maassen, Senior Manager, Urban Transformation Insights & Partnerships / Global Lead, WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities, World Resources Institute, USA
• Darby McGrath, Program Leader and Senior Research Scientist, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, Canada
• Dominic Regester, Program Director, Salzburg Global Seminar, Austria
• Dusty Gedge, President, European Federation of Green Roof and Green Wall Associations, Austria
• Grant Pearsell, Ecological Planning Consultant, Cities4Biodiversity, The World Bank, Canada
• Dr Harriet Bulkley, Professor of Geography, Durham University and Utrecht University, United Kingdom
• Ian Shears, Principal, Ian Shears Green Infrastructure and Urban Forestry, Australia
• Ingrid Coetzee, Director: Biodiversity, Nature & Health, ICLEI Africa and ICLEI Global Cities Biodiversity Center, South Africa
• Jennifer McKelvie, Chair – Infrastructure and Environment Committee, Toronto City Council, Canada
• Jennifer Rae Pierce, Head of Partnerships & Engagement, Urban Biodiversity Hub, Canada
• Jianping Zhou, Vice President, International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) and Secretary General, China Flower Association
• John-Rob Pool, Global Implementation Manager, Cities4Forests, World Resources Institute, USA
• Judith van der Poel, Director, Niek Roozen Landscape, Netherlands
• Kyra Appleby, Global Director, Cities, States and Regions, CDP – Global environmental reporting system, United Kingdom
• Luis Romahn, CEO, World Urban Parks, Mexico
• Marcus Grant, Editor in Chief, Cities & Health, United Kingdom
• Michael Casey, President, Australian Institute of Horticulture and Director Evergreen Infrastructure & MJC Horticulture Committee, Australia
• Michael von Hausen, President, MVH Urban Planning & Design Inc and Adjunct Professor, Simon Fraser University and University of Vancouver Island, Canada
• Peter Chmiel, Director, Grant Associates, United Kingdom
• Peter Massini, Director, Future Nature Consulting, United Kingdom
• Robert Brears, Founder, Our Future Water and Green Climate Fund International Sectoral Expert (Water), New Zealand
• Simone Borelli, Urban and Periurban Forestry Officer, FAO, Italy
• Zac Tudor, Associate Landscape Architect, Arup, United Kingdom

The panel is comprised of leaders in the global green city space whose expertise spans across the six award categories. The role of the technical panel is to assess and score all eligible entries, select a shortlist of entries for each award category, and put forward recommendations on which shortlisted entries should also be considered for the overall AIPH World Green City award.

The inaugural edition invited all cities to showcase their strategic greening and urban nature initiatives that pursue a meaningful impact, are being successfully implemented, have potential to further scale or spread to other cities, and exemplify resilience in how they are conducted.

The 2022 award categories are:

• Living Green for Biodiversity: Addressing the loss of species, habitats, ecosystem health, and genetic diversity.
• Living Green for Climate Change: Tackling the root causes and effects of climate change in order to build more liveable and resilient cities.
• Living Green for Health and Wellbeing: Addressing the medical, behavioural, and social determinants of health for residents.
• Living Green for Water: Ensuring that water resources are safeguarded and wisely used, with clean water available to all while also protecting residents from flooding risks.
• Living Green for Social Cohesion: Fostering belonging, trust and inter-generational as well as cross-cultural relationships to prevent exclusion, marginalisation and violence.
• Living Green for Economic Recovery and Inclusive Growth: Creating systems and solutions that allow all city residents to overcome economic distress and thrive.

The shortlist will be delivered to the 2022 awards jury who will select from the entries one winner per category, as well as the overall AIPH World Green City winner.

“AIPH is very proud to see the Technical Panel come to life for the very first edition of the World Green City Awards,” said Tim Briercliffe, AIPH Secretary General. “We warmly welcome each member of the panel as we anticipate the announcement of the shortlist. We sincerely thank the Technical Panel members for their dedication to this exciting process. Together we look forward to showcasing the inspiring greening initiatives from leading cities around the world who are all taking action for plants, nature, and people.”

To learn more about the members of the technical panel, visit aiph.org/green-city/green-city-awards/technical-panel

AIPH is grateful to the network of partners for their ongoing support for the AIPH World Green City Awards – Biophilic Cities, Cities & Health, CitiesWithNature, European Federation of Green Roof & Green Wall Associations (EFB), The Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, Greener Spaces Better Places, #NatureForAll, Salzburg Global Seminar, The Nature of Cities (TNoC), Trees for Cities, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), Urban Biodiversity Hub (UBHub), Urban Land Institute, World Urban Parks, Youth Climate Leaders, and 8 80 Cities. Thank you also to sponsor Expo 2021 Hatay and media partners Cities Today, FloraCulture International, and Host City.