WORLD MAYOR 2018
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WORLD MAYOR 2018
• Results 2018
• Project 2018
• Shortlist 2018
• Longlist 2018
• Raison d'être
• World Mayor history
• World Mayor Prize
• Code of Ethics

• Criteria
• Meet the Press

INTERVIEWS WITH
• Mayor of Ancona
• Mayor of Doncaster
• Mayor of Rennes
• Mayor of Zamboanga


ESSAYS BY
• Mayor of Ancona
• Mayor of Cologne
• Mayor of Doncaster
• Mayor of Fort Worth
• Mayor of Lille
• Mayor of Paris
• Mayor of Rennes
• Mayor of Saarbrücken
• Mayor of Trbovlje
• Mayor of Tunis
• Mayor of Zamboanga

TESTIMONIALS
• Mayor of Alphen / Rijn
• Mayor of Ancona
• Mayor of Baden-Baden
• Mayor of Calais
• Mayor of Chemnitz
• Mayor of Cologne
• Mayor of Cozumel
• Mayor of Doncaster
• Mayor of Fort Worth
• Mayor of Grand Rapids
• Mayor of Lille
• Mayor of Lodz
• Mayor of Molenbeek
• Mayor of Narayanganj
• Mayor of Oakland
• Mayor of Omaha
• Mayor of Paris
• Mayor of Rennes
• Mayor of Reutlingen
• Mayor of Saarbrücken
• Mayor of San Juan
• Mayor of Trbovlje
• Mayor of Tunis
• Mayor of Zamboanga
• Mayor of Zurich

PROFILES OF
• Mayor of Ancona
• Mayor of Cologne
• Mayor of Doncaster
• Mayor of Fort Worth
• Mayor of Lille
• Mayor of Paris
• Mayor of Rennes
• Mayor of Saarbrücken
• Mayor of Trbovlje
• Mayor of Tunis
• Mayor of Zamboanga



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WORLD MAYOR 2004



Martine Aubry
Mayor of Lille, France

World Mayor 2018: Mayor of Distinction

12 February 2019: Martine Aubry has been the mayor of Lille in northern France since 2001. Twice she was re-elected, most recently in 2014. During the last 17 years after the decline of manufacturing, the city has re-invented it self a European centre of technology, science and culture. Mayor Aubry believes that a vibrant culture will help to attract modern technology and creative industries. It will encourage start-ups to choose Lille as their base.

When in 2015 millions of people fled the war zones of the Middle East, Lille was among the first cities in France to welcome refugees. Under Mayor Aubry’s leadership, Lille has remained a welcoming city. In 2018 she invited a group of Sudanese refugees from the Aquarius human rescue vessel after it was denied access to Italian ports.

During much of the 1990s, Martine Aubry was Minister for Employment when, in 1998, she was instrumental in introducing the 35-hour working week. Between 2008 and 2012, the Mayor was also leader of the French Socialist Party, but was unsuccessful when she sought her party’s candidature for the 2012 presidential election.

In her World Mayor essay, Mayor Aubry describes how Lille has used its planning and regulatory powers to attempt to prevent some of the divisions, which have been present in recent decades in cities. “We are one of the few major cities in France to have kept working class groups in the heart of the city. That is a source of great pride to us. We claim to uphold a policy of diversity even in the smallest blocks of housing. Social diversity exists in each neighbourhood because of our practice of rebalancing the quantity of social housing where it is lacking and offering private housing where there is little.”

“Housing policy is the catalyst for the entire urban transformation of our city. More than 20,000 new homes have been built to make room for everyone.”

Martine Aubry believes that cities are best placed to respond to the challenge of climate change and is critical of the French government’s timidity. Lille was an early signatory of Agenda 21, the UN’s non-binding action plan to further sustainable development. Mayor Aubry is currently leading her city’s bid to be the 2021 European Green Capital.


Extract from Mayor Aubry’s essay:
I think that all the nominees for the World Mayor Prize will share my belief that a mayor’s mandate is the greatest of all mandates. After all, what other mandate allows one to hold a long term vision for the future of a territory, and at the same time to interact closely with residents each day to accompany them, especially those that are the most vulnerable?

It is with this double ambition, to look towards the future whilst remaining attentive to each resident, that I have dedicated my work to Lille since I was elected Mayor in 2001. My vision for Lille has always been based on a certain ideal of togetherness and of course, on the values of justice and solidarity.

With these values, we defend the design of a city that deliberately turns its back on urban mechanics that divide and alienate. Rejecting city designs with the rich neighbourhoods on one side and the poor neighbourhoods on the other, where the outskirts are dormitory towns and the centres museums and commercial areas, industrial zones, etc.

This is especially important for us in Lille, we are one of the few major cities in France to have kept working class groups in the heart of the city. This is a great source of pride for us. MORE


Typical tribute:
Lille is at the heart of a territory, a region, marked by the proliferation of industrial sites during the industrial revolution and all the consequences that relate to them since their closures.

For many cities, and for the central city of Lille, it took new challenges to revitalize these territories. It was necessary to develop the social and solidarity economy, set up new poles of excellence, bring large companies to the world reputation, allow each and everyone to find themselves in this new landscape.

It was also necessary to build new buildings, new housing, taking into account the necessities imposed by our planet, respecting it thanks to a new ecological approach. It was also necessary for the most precarious families, those most in need of public services, to be accompanied and feel better every day in our commune. A municipality that is based above all on living well together and respect for each and everyone. Without forgetting of course all that is done in terms of urban planning, education, recreation, sports, health, prevention, security or transport.

Since 2001, Martine Aubry has developed public policies that meet the expectations and needs of each and every one of Lille. She sees her role as Mayor as a pride, proud to serve Lille, proud to serve her territory. MORE


Further reading
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