Budapest named one of the world’s most innovative cities! Here’s the brilliant idea behind it
Budapest was listed among the 50 most innovative cities of the world at the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2025 Mayors Challenge competitions, City Hall said on Friday.
The 50 finalists were selected from 630 applicants and will receive 50,000 US dollars to test and develop their project, the statement said.
Budapest applied for support for a city-run food processing plant to turn surplus fruits and vegetables from local markets into frozen products, jams and pickles, the statement said. The products would be used mainly in meals for schools and senior homes, it said.
The initiative would cut food waste, improve the meals served to children and the elderly, support the circular economy and improve the income of local producers by creating a market for “quality produce that would not have been marketable earlier”.
The Budapest municipality would fully coordinate the supply chain to guarantee transparency, effectiveness and long-term sustainability, the statement said.
The Bloomberg Philanthropies 2025 Mayors Challenge
“The sixth Challenge elevates municipalities that have proposed the boldest ideas to bolster essential municipal services,” the official press release says.
“From Boise to Belfast, Ansan to Addis Ababa, Toronto to Taipei, the 50 finalists, selected from more than 630 applications, hail from 33 countries and represent over 80 million residents. Their ideas aim to increase public transit ridership, lower household energy costs, expand urban green space, speed service response, strengthen sanitation, improve youth safety, safeguard water supply, and more,” the communiqué reads.
“Local government is where people meet policy—and where government improves lives and builds trust,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies.
In this round of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge, more funding will be distributed and more cities will be assisted than in the previous five Challenges, which each selected between five to 15 winners.
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