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World Mayor Nominations 2021
Peter Kurz, Mayor of Mannheim, Germany The 2021 World Mayor Prize and Commendations will be conferred on mayors who have been showing leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and who are now aiming to make their cities more resilient economically, structurally, socially and environmentally. In fact: Stronger | Fairer | Greener. The organisers of the World Mayor Project are looking for mayors who have shown exceptional leadership skills but also, and more importantly, acted at all times with compassion towards those most affected by Covid-19. The pandemic has shown how vulnerable even the richest cities are when confronted with a disaster like Covid-19. Forward-looking city leaders will now begin to re-think how their communities can be better protected against future threats, both natural and man-made. Peter Kurz, Mayor of Mannheim, Germany, has been shortlisted for the 2021 World Mayor Prize. |
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| FRONT PAGE About World Mayor City Mayors Foundation    WORLD MAYOR 2021 - The Winners - The Project - The Finalists - The Shortlist - The Longlist - Selection criteria - Covid-19 - World Mayor history - World Mayor Sculpture - Poverty - Code of Ethics - Press & Media INTERVIEWS - Mayor of Ankara - Mayor of Braga - Mayor of Bratislava - Mayor of Grigny - Maire de Grigny - Mayor of Rotterdam - Mayor of Saint-Omer - Mayor of San Bellino - Sindaco di San Bellino - Mayor of Villa del Conte ESSAYS - Mayor of Ankara - Mayor of Braga - Mayor of Bratislava - Mayor of Grigny - Maire de Grigny - Mayor of Mannheim - Mayor of Raqqa - Mayor of Rotterdam - Mayor of Saint-Omer - Maire de Saint-Omer - Mayor of San Bellino - Sindaco di San Bellino TESTIMONIALS - Mayor of Amsterdam - Mayor of Ankara - Mayor of Arnhem - Mayor of Bergamo - Mayor of Bogotá - Mayor of Braga - Mayor of Bratislava - Mayor of Buenos Aires - Mayor of Carmignano - Mayor of Cascais - Mayor of Compton - Mayor of Dantumadiel - Mayor of Freetown - Mayor of Grenoble - Mayor of Grigny - Mayor of Guarulhos - Mayor of Kuala Lumpur - Mayor of Mannheim - Mayor of Mexico City - Mayor of Milan - Mayor of Raqqa - Mayor of Rostock - Mayor of Rotterdam - Mayor of Saint-Omer - Mayor of San Bellino - Mayor of Villa del Conte - Mayor of Warsaw WORLD MAYOR 2018 WORLD MAYOR 2016 WORLD MAYOR 2014 WORLD MAYOR 2012 WORLD MAYOR 2010 WORLD MAYOR 2008 WORLD MAYOR 2006 WORLD MAYOR 2005 WORLD MAYOR 2004 |
Nominations for Peter Kurz Mayor of Mannheim (Germany) Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Nominated by Joanna Z.-R., outside Germany: The City of Bydgoszcz strongly supports the nomination of Mayor of Mannheim – Dr. Peter Kurz for the World Mayor Prize. Being a partner city of Mannheim Bydgoszcz has very tight links and cooperation with Mayor Kurz both on bilateral level and on the platforms of networks associating cities (eg. EUROCITIES). During the time of pandemic the activities of Dr. Peter Kurz have been particularly visible and supportive on international scale. In recognition of common problems that cities face these days he initiated and organized an international conference (online) –Mayors Summit with a purpose to share cities good practices and practical solutions – response to the uneasy and extraordinary time of COVID-19. Dr. Peter Kurz proved to be a skilful leader on international scale and the Mayors Summit was a fruitful and highly recognized event. As the head of the partner city of Bydgoszcz Mayor Kurz demonstrated an exceptional understanding and solidarity - at the peak of pandemic hospitals in our city obtained 50 000 of face masks as a gift and support from Mannheim in the dramatic health situation. All in all it is the standpoint of the authorities of Bydgoszcz to strongly support and recommend Dr. Peter Kurz- the Mayor of Mannheim for the World Mayor Prize. Nominated by Jo L. Germany: Peter Kurz is a mayor that citizens can be proud of. He cares about the city and if always accessible for concrete concerns of people. Under his leadership the city of Mannheim developed to place with a high quality of life. Despite a lot of industries, Mannheim enjoys clean air and a lot of green areas. The city is on the path of the UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs). Mannheim is a highly multicultural city. Mayor Peter Kurz is specially engaged in activation of the potentials of the different social backgrounds for the common good. Peter Kurz took leadership in model restructuring vast areas of the city from former military barracks to vibrant areas for living and working. All in all, I nominate Mayor Peter Kurz for World Mayor 2021. Nominated by Piotr P., Mannheim: On behalf of the German-Polish Society Mannheim-Ludwigshahen e. V, as well as my own as a resident of the city of Mannheim, I wish to thank our President, Peter Kurz, for all that he has done. The activities of the Societies, and in particular the Societies that maintain international contacts with the twin city of Bydgoszcz and Poland, often depend on politicians and officials. Mannheim officials always and everywhere helped us organize various events, meetings, lectures and exhibitions. We can envy such a President. It should be emphasized that the President does not forget about the Polish-German history, how painful past, and supports memory centers such as "KZ Gedenkstätte Sandhofen", and also contributes to the creation of new ones, such as the monument commemorating Polish forced laborers in Mannheim and the surrounding area, which was built in Main Cemetery in Mannheim, which is not common in Germany. As a Pole, I feel truly European in Mannheim. Nominated by Dr Martin Z., Germany: Dear World Mayor committee, with this mail I want to vote for Mayor Kurz of the City of Mannheim for the World Mayor Award. As professor for arts management and Head of the Institute for Arts Management and Hamburg’s University for Music and Theatre, I am very impressed with the emphasis Mayor Kurz has put on sustainable urban development in a very broad way. He has managed to support traditional cultural institutions as well as making Mannheim the centre of a cultural industries cluster with a strong focus on music and design and use these cultural strengths as catalysts of urban development and transformation. In my experience is Mayor Kurz one of the rare actors who has a positive vision, a sense of urgency and the power to translate a vision into an open process of participation which invites many communities member to become part of a transformation process. Under his leadership, Mannheim has moved from a struggling post-industrial town to a self-confident and vibrant urban space which sets an example for many other cities with comparable size and challenges. An award for Mayor Kurz would honour his achievements as well as strengthen his and Mannheim’s position for the path ahead. Nominated by Luigi T., Mannheim: My Name is Luigi T., I am a Citizen of Mannheim. During the pandemic, our mayor showed himself to be prudent and wise. I have great confidence in the decisions he had to make. My family and myself feel safe. Thank you Nominated by Myriam H., Germany: For us, a not for profit exhibition space, invented by two visual artist, the decision to stay in Mannheim 20 years ago was a decision that was approved during the time that Mr. Kurz had already been the mayor of Mannheim. He puts a lot of energy and passion in developing creativity and the startup scene in Mannheim. He is open for new ideas and helps Mannheim to become an even better and more resilient city. The reputation of Mannheim has changed for the better significantly since he has been mayor. He cares a lot about the green deal and is very concerned with social problems and solidarity. This has led to the fact that the city of Mannheim has become an even more open community. Nominated by F.-V. A., Mannheim: Dr. Kurz is an outstanding mayor who is personally and professionally convincing. Since his time in office, he pursues the goal of making Mannheim a smart, social, sustainable and progressive city. Just to name a few examples: During his administration, for example, many housing units (including social housing) were created for citizens in the City of Mannheim, which suffers from a housing shortage, by purchasing and converting the former American barracks Elsewhere, the 100 percent subsidiary of the City of Mannheim "NEXT Mannheim" was initiated, which has been actively supporting start-up entrepreneurs ever since. Exemplary for its ecological awareness, the expansion of bicycle paths is continuously being pursued at full throttle. The City of Mannheim has made nine million euros available for this over the next three years. Much of this is the success of Dr. Kurz. He is working tirelessly during this Covid 19 pandemic to minimize the consequences for the City of Mannheim. I know many political leaders first hand, but Dr. Kurz is by far the most competent among them. He is a blessing for the City of Mannheim. Dr. Kurz is a visionary with clear goals Nominated by Tamara K., outside Germany: I have been working with the city of Mannheim for many years, especially in the cultural field. Over this time, I have had the opportunity to observe a number of initiatives by Mayor Kurz that have made the city under his leadership a unique center on the map of Europe, if not the world. It's thanks to Peter Kurz's actions that Mannheim is today a leader in the global dialogue on the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals contained in the UN's 2030 Agenda, and his support for young, ambitious, and innovative startups is a model and good practice that other cities should implement. On the other hand, the proactivity shown by Mayor Peter Kurz during the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic proves that he is a leader who can manage the city in a matter not only in times of peace and prosperity but also in times of peace and prosperity also in times of severe crisis. The citizens of Mannheim could count on being provided with the necessary personal protective equipment (moreover, one of the Polish cities - Bydgoszcz - received such support from Peter Kurz!), and the testing system introduced by Mannheim is indeed enviable. But most importantly, at each stage, the residents received reliable and credible information from Mayor Kurz about the current situation. My experience and knowledge of other centers worldwide show that this has undoubtedly set Mannheim and Mayor Kurz apart from other cities and mayors around the world. Nominated by Dr Matthias R., Mannheim: Dear ladies and gentlemen, I would like to show my support for Mayor Dr. Kurz as World Mayor 2021. Mayor Dr. Peter Kurz has shown exceptional leadership not only during the COVID-19 pandemic but has transformed the entire city of Mannheim into a more innovative, creative, sustainable and thus also safer city over the last 14 years. During the first 9 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Kurz was key in providing important support measures primarily for stakeholders that were particularly affected by the pandemic, namely artists and creatives, cultural institutions, restaurants, bars and any other businesses that could not sufficiently be supported through federal support programs. Mayor Kurz installed a COVID-19 task force early on during the pandemic in order to steer and strategically align all municipal actions with regard to the pandemic. Vitally important financial support programs were initiated alongside more co-creative approaches such as digital design thinking workshops on new and alternative business models in the realms of the music industry, film industry, performance arts, night culture and nighttime economy and the retail sector. Moreover, a special support program for clubs and live music venues was established. Furthermore, mayor Kurz has led and guided a detailed and extensive participatory process for the guiding process and mission statement for Mannheim 2030 that is based on the SDGs and aims to transform Mannheim into an even safer, greener and more sustainable future utilizing culture, creativity and innovation as important driving forces in this regard. Finally, under Dr. Kurz‚s initiative, the City of Mannheim has engaged widely in various international networks, such as UNESCO Creative Cities network, EuroCities network or Global Parliament of Mayors (for which Dr. Kurz currently serves as a member of the executive committee) among others in order to learn from the world and also share some of our experiences in Mannheim with the world, always highlighting the central role of cities in solving the global problems of our times. The intensification of cross-sectoral innovation and cooperation processes seem key in order to tackle the major urban challenges of our time. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that engaging in international networks and exchange becomes even more important in times of crisis in order to learn from each other and also pass on important experiences and best-practices. The transformation of downtown centers will be among the most pressing issues facing cities after the pandemic offering huge potentials for a more diverse, ecological, sustainable and inclusive uses in the future. Nominated by Philipp K., Mannheim: Dear Sir and Madame, my name is Philipp and I am a filmmaker, author and musician from Mannheim, Germany. With this email I want to vote for the lord mayor of my city - Dr. Peter Kurz - to win the World Mayor Prize. My work as a filmmaker, which is focused on producing documentaries, is closely related to the people and the history of the city of mannheim. For my film TRANSNATIONALMANNSCHAFT I was awarded the Integrationsmedaille (medal of integration) by the federal government of Germany. In the light of this I truly want to say that I couldn’t imagine a better lord mayor for „my“ city as Dr. Peter Kurz. I believe that more cities in the world would have deserved a political leader like him and that is why I want to give my vote for him to win the World Mayor Prize. I deeply support his role and leadership in the Global Parliament of Mayors and the agenda of this organisation. During the refugee crises and the current pandemic it got obvious to see for everybody how urgent structural changes on the level of international institutions are, to reach a better multi-level-governance. His long-time involvement in the GPM is in my opinion a good example for Mister Kurz' farsighted actions and visions. I also thank Dr. Kurz for setting up a municipal supplementary aid program for companies during the current covid 19 pandemic. Luckily me and my company did not have to apply for it, but I know many cases in my local start-up ecosystem, were this program saved businesses and jobs during the pandemic. Big Up for this!! If you choose Dr. Peter Kurz for winning this prize you won’t make a mistake. Nominated by Andreas K., Mannheim: As police chief of Mannheim, I have been working in the administrative staff under the leadership of Mayor Peter Kurz since the pandemic began. I am voting for Mr. Kurz to be awarded the World Mayor Prize for the following reasons: Mr. Kurz is a committed and extremely competent crisis manager. His personal experience, his analytical skills and his ability to network effectively with many experts in order to develop holistic and sustainable solutions and consistently implement them in flat hierarchies with high dynamics are a success factor in managing the crisis. Mayor Kurz is optimally networked with many people in charge and knows how to compensate for existing skill gaps in dynamic developments through network structures and cooperation. Even under high pressure, he shows outstanding individual leadership skills and knows how to motivate his employees in a goal-oriented manner. Mayor Kurz is a visionary, a thought leader and an organizational expert. He thinks globally and acts locally and manages to bundle forces in the pandemic with clear leadership, to set necessary priorities and to create solutions tailored to situation developments at an early stage and to implement them consistently. Nominated by Macit K., Germany: Peter Kurz does his duties as Mayor of Mannheim in a great way. Very honourable, too. He supports and helps minorities in his areas and also in Baden- Württemberg. He fights for poverty in every respect in his Job with much responsibility. Discrimination and unacceptable housing conditions are other issues he cares for. I watch his work with much interest from outside Mannheim and I do appreciate much what he realizes and works for. I wish we would have more Mayors like him in our country. Nominated by Karim B., Mannheim: Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, today I would like to vote for Dr. Peter Kurz Mayor of Mannheim. To keep it short, I mention “just” one big advantage of him: He is a huge professional in reaching people from all different cultures. For example, he was invited by the Ditib-community (the biggest Muslim -religion group in Mannheim), for talking at a special Friday event. It’s very special, due to he is the first political who was invited to hold a discourse. This is the way he acts reaching people. With a strong occur he is able to reach the hearth of the peoples. I’m convinced, he is valuable getting the title “World Mayor”. Nominated by Prof Martin M. K., Germany: As member of musical life in Germany I vote for Dr. Peter Kurz, Mayor of the City of Mannheim to be awarded by the World Mayor Prize 2021. As president of the German Music Council I met Dr. Kurz several times in the context of the Pop Academy Mannheim, were he has been until now one oft deciding promoters to make this institute, which is singular in Germany, a nucleus of intercultural networking, inspiration, and understanding. It is mainly through his influence, that Mannheim is an exemplary music city in the meaning of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions: guarding cultural heritage, fostering contemporary cultural – and in this context musical – expressions, and generating intercultural dialogue in the spirit of mutual respect and emancipation. As professor for Cultural politics at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, I accompanied several Master Thesis concerning outstanding projects of the city of Mannheim: so the development of the quarter of Jungbusch as one of the historic „problem quarters“ of the city, now struck by gentrifying projects. A very offensive strategy of securing and re-implanting micro-cultural infrastructure led to a new quality of living and, in accordance with social projects, to securing this quarter to be part of a vital life over all social groups and generations. Parallel to this development, there was implanted the first „Night Mayor“ in a German city, a position resp. person being responsible for fostering peace between the night-oriented cultural economy and the residents. It is my conviction that the election of Dr. Peter Kurz, Mayor of the City of Mannheim, as World Mayor 2021 would be a signal of recognition for outstanding and creative efforts to create local and international peace by mutual understanding through cultural initiatives. Nominated by Isabel C., Mannheim: As a city councilwoman in Mannheim I would like to render my support for Peter Kurz als World Mayor. His leadership in managing the COVID Pandemic has been noteworthy, always on top of current scientific discussion and practical implementation, he has guided the city through this difficult time with the right mix of foresight, calm and openness for creative solutions. His commitment to the exchange of ideas and solutions on an international level, has greatly helped our city. It is an inspiring take on the role cities can take in solving the bigger issues. This commitment is exemplified in the integration of SDGs as a focal point for Mannheims development strategy, but it extents well beyond that. Numerous international conferences about climate change, social entrepreneurship, Urban Thinkers campus etc. show this commitment to international engagement. Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | |