Coverage of The International Awards for Liveable Communities

The awards presentation begins about 2:00 p.m. our time on Monday, November 26, 2007, but it appears to be a long banquet.

Assuming I have correctly deciphered the LivCom Web site, Toledo participates in the Whole City category, and according to the schedule, Whole City Awards will be presented at ~~4:50 p.m. Toledo time~~. [Nov 26: More like 5:30 p.m. Toledo time.]

I believe the awards banquet will be broadcast live on LivCom.tv.

On the Web

Main Web site : http://livcomawards.com
- Finals Timetable

Live/Recorded Videos : http://livcom.tv
- LivCom TV 2 - Schedule
  - Toledo's Nov 24, 2007 presentation

Nov 24, 2007 Toledo Blade : Toledo delegation fine-tunes message of city's virtues

Nov 26, 2007 Toledo Blade : Mayor's friendliness causes 'Cartyjams' in London

Toledo delegate blog : http://toledoinlondon.blogspot.com

Toledo Presentation

2007 Finalists

Links where available for Wikipedia entries and LivCom presentations.

Category D, Population 200,001 – 750,000

Edogawa City, Japan	Wikipedia	LivCom
Lyon, France	Wikipedia	LivCom
Malmo, Sweden	Wikipedia
Manukau, New Zealand	Wikipedia	LivCom
Regional Municipality of Niagara, Canada	Wikipedia
Toledo, USA	Wikipedia	LivCom
Wenjiang, PR China		LivCom

Day 2 Highlights

2nd day highlights :

Category D, Popn 200,000-750,000

Toledo, Ohio, USA: 'Jeep and cheerful'

Toledo, Ohio, USA is the birthplace of the legendary Jeep Overland car. The Willy’s-Overland Company began operations in 1909. The original Jeep plant was demolished in 2005, but as a memento a lone smokestack bearing the imprimatur ‘Overland’ still stands at the site.

As this introduction would indicate, Toledo, which was founded in 1837 where the Maumee River connects with Lake Erie, serves as a manufacturing centre and a transport hub. It is the model Midwestern city combining a high quality of life with a low cost of living.

With this industrial heritage, environmental concerns at the start of the twenty first century, have become an important issue.

The most significant enhancement of the city’s landscape is underway on the east bank of the Maumee River near downtown Toledo. The Marina District is a 200 acre development that will mix retail, residential and recreational opportunities in an urban setting. As part of this project more than 200 acres of commercially dormant, polluted land along the shores of Lake Erie was remediated and will be put to beneficial use. A municipal marina was completed in 2007 and construction of a passenger terminal is underway.

Toledo was winner of the US EPA Region Five Phoenix award for its work to take more than 400 acres of polluted land and restore it to productive use as the site of the new Jeep production plant. Creative ideas for brownfield site clean-ups, a broad range of funding sources and a hands-on demonstration of community support led to Chrysler’s decision to remain within Toledo. The business, which employs 5,000 people, had threatened to relocate 50 miles outside the city.

Awards Banquet Schedule

P.M. times are for EST (And hopefully correct)

Monday, November 26, 2007
1:15	Delegates arrive
1:15	Welcome Drink
1:50	Welcome by LivCom
1:53	Welcome by Westminster – Sir Simon Milton
1:57	UNEP Speaker – Jan-Gustav Strandenaes
2:03	Presentation to five Chinese Projects
2:08	Special award
2:14	Signing of MoU
2:19	UNEP Speaker – Christophe Bouvier
2:24	Presentation of Project Awards
2:45	Banquet with music
4:50	Presentation of Whole City Awards
6:30	Transport to Hotel

LivCom.tv Final Day Schedule

Live feed link

Monday, November 26, 2007 Toledo times :

2:00 to 2:45 p.m. - LivCom Awards Part One

4:00 to 6:00 p.m. - LivCom Awards Part Two

Sights and Sounds

Carty loose in London

Awards Banquet Entertainment. Final song was "White Christmas."

Cat D Results

2007 LivCom 'Whole City' award winners in Category D for population 200,001 - 750,000 :

1st place : Malmo
2nd place : Lyon
3rd place : Toledo

At 6:00 p.m. Toledo time, Toledo was announced as the 3rd place, silver award winner.

Top Winners

LivCom announcement :

This year’s finals saw judging across six criteria for both projects and communities, including; Enhancement of the Landscape, Heritage Management, Environmentally Sensitive Practices, Community Sustainability, Healthy Lifestyles and Planning for the Future.

Enhancement of the Landscape	Lyon, France
Heritage Management	Manukau, New Zealand
Environmentally Sensitive Practices	Gran Canaria, Spain
Community Sustainability	St Walburg, Canada
Healthy Lifestyles	Richmond, Virginia
Planning for the Future	St Cloud, Minnesota
Whole City (up to 20,000)	Clonakilty, Ireland
Whole City (up to 75,000)	Kladno, Czech Republic
Whole City (up to 200,000)	Ipswich, Australia
Whole City (up to 750,000)	Malmo, Sweden
Whole City (over 750,000)	Wujin District, Changzhou

Full Results

2007 results

Category A

1st Clonakilty (Gold)
2nd St Walburg (Silver)
3rd Lytham (Silver)

Bronze

Ville de Rosemere
Echo
Nieuwpoort

Category B

1st Kladno (Gold)
2nd St Cloud (Gold)
3rd Chrudim

Silver

Utena
Newark
Hoover
Fayetteville

Category C

1st Ipswich (Gold)
2nd Richmond (Gold)
3rd Oshawa (Gold)

Silver

Kakamigahra
Norwich
Bronze
Portsmouth
Pecs
Gran Canaria

Category D

1st Malmo (Gold)
2nd Lyon (Gold)
3rd Toledo (Silver)

Silver

Manukau
Edogawa
Wentjiang

Category E

1st Wujin District, Changzhou (Gold)
2nd Arriyadh City (Bronze)
2nd City of Johannesburg (Bronze)
3rd Abuja (Bronze)

Built Projects

1st King Abdulaziz Historical Centre (Gold Award)
2nd Flat Bush Town, Manukau (Gold Award)
3rd The Radisson SAS, Malta (Gold Award)

Silver Awards

Gardabaer: Urridaholt Masterplan

Bronze Awards

Retrofitting and sustainability – Soho
Asokoro Park: Abuja

Natural Projects

1st Dorothy Nyembe Education Centre, Johannesburg (Gold Award)
2nd Wadi Hanifah Restoration, Arriyadh City (Gold)
3rd Ivory Park, Johannesburg (Gold)

Gold Awards;

Greening of Soweto, Johannesburg
Thokoza Park, Soweto, Johannesburg

Silver Awards:

Diepsloot Cemetery, Johannesburg
Energy and Education Project, Schwalm-Edier-Kries
Saltwell Park, Gateshead

Bronze Awards:

Catton Park, Broadlands
Salam Park, Arriyadh City

Environmental Management Strategy: Jo’Burg
Environmentally Sensitive Practices: Hoover
Bursary Award for £10,000: Greening of Soweto, Johannesburg

Chinese Built Projects

1st Beijing Riverside (Gold Award)
2nd Arcadia (Gold Award)
3rd Sanshen Center Park (Silver)

Silver:

Oceanwide
Fanyi
Joinin Crown International

Bronze:

Vanke East Coast
Miky Way, Jiang Shu

Criteria awards

1. Enhancement of the Landscape, Lyon
2. Heritage Management, Manukau
3. Environmentally Sensitive Practices, Gran Canaria
4. Community sustainability, St Walburg
5. Healthy Living, Richmond
6. Planning For the Future, St Cloud

created by jr on Nov 25, 2007 at 09:11:15 pm
updated by jr on Nov 28, 2007 at 11:25:00 am Comments: 16

source versions

Comments ... #

These types of things always remind of JD Power and Associates which were developed to sell Japanese cars to skeptical Americans and later American cars to skeptical Americans.
http://radaronline.com/features/2006/09/jd_power_associates.php

I'd rather have a vibrant culture and economy but a nicely stocked trophy case might make more than a few people happy.

posted by charlatan on Nov 26, 2007 at 03:06:00 am #

The LivCom awards banquet is being streamed live.

posted by jr on Nov 26, 2007 at 05:47:52 pm #

Toledo wins 3rd place.

posted by jr on Nov 26, 2007 at 07:00:14 pm #

2007 LivCom 'Whole City' award winners in Category D for population 200,001 - 750,000 :

1st place : Malmo
2nd place : Lyon
3rd place : Toledo

posted by jr on Nov 26, 2007 at 07:02:27 pm #

Carty headed to the stage after hearing Toledo announced as 3rd place silver winner.

posted by jr on Nov 26, 2007 at 07:12:01 pm #

Actually, my favorite part of the ceremony was the music as the winners ambled up to the podium. It sounded like they were at the MTV Video Music Awards.

posted by Ace_Face on Nov 26, 2007 at 09:55:55 pm #

3rd place in the world; 1st place in the USA

posted by lew on Nov 26, 2007 at 10:30:07 pm #

Every city at the event competed for the top prize in each of the following categories: Enhancement of the Landscape, Heritage Management, Environmentally Sensitive Practices, Community Sustainability, Healthy Lifestyles, and Planning for the Future. Population didn't matter for these categories.

Then the cities were competing for the "Whole City" award within one of five population categories. So a city could have won more than one medal.

Richmond, Virginia won for "Healthy Lifestyles" and St Cloud, Minnesota won for "Planning for the Future."

St. Cloud also took second place in the "Whole City" category for population of 75,001 to 200,000.

Other U.S. cities also received recognition.

posted by jr on Nov 27, 2007 at 12:57:20 am #

And this is supposed to help Toledo how? Did we pay for Scout to make the trip too?

posted by tommy1 on Nov 27, 2007 at 01:17:53 pm #

This 3rd place award will put an end to things like ...

At least five injured in boiler explosion downtown. - Nov 23, 2007 Toledo Blade

Sewer line break closes downtown auto title office - Nov 26, 2007 Toledo Blade

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge will be fully operational.

And the award will probably stifle our drive to be the Venice of the Midwest.

posted by jr on Nov 27, 2007 at 01:39:41 pm #

LivCom.tv >> LivCom Awards Video Part 2

This video is 110 minutes long, but you can easily fast forward by clicking the play button and then grabbing the slider bar.

A musical act occupies the first part of this video. Handing out awards starts back up again at the 66-minute mark. Category D where Toledo was announced begins at the 96-minute mark.

posted by jr on Nov 27, 2007 at 02:04:16 pm #

I also heard that the white supremists that held a rally here before will not go into a top 5 city.
Thanks Carty! You're proving again that so many voters can't be wrong!

posted by tommy1 on Nov 27, 2007 at 10:37:44 pm #

WSPD’s coverage of this yesterday over several hours: ad nauseam. What a tired station.

posted by Offshore on Nov 28, 2007 at 09:05:52 am #

From jayott.blogspot.com : Carty's Reception at Toledo Express Airport.

Photos are included in the posting. Scout was present to welcome the Mayor. Carty is beaming. A banner is displayed at the airport. I think it says "Toledo Most Liveable Community *n North America."

The banner doesn't appear to mention anything about population categories. Toledo finished third and got a silver medal or whatever. St. Cloud, Minnesota finished second and got a gold. Richmond, Virginia finished second and got a gold. And both Richmond and St. Cloud won one of the criteria awards.

posted by jr on Nov 28, 2007 at 11:26:49 am #

According a Dec 4, 2007 Toledo Blade story, Carty's sell-job at the LivCom awards was a bit of a fraud. What a shock.

The presentation said the city even had four wind turbines (they're near Bowling Green), demonstrating growing prowess in alternative energy.

So Carty lied, or BG gets to share the 3rd place trophy.

More from Tom Troy's article :

But in reading or watching the portrayal of the community's commitment to environmental and cultural sustainability, some might wonder if they live in the same place as the city described by the mayor and his team. A fact-checking effort by The Blade found that the community described by Mr. Finkbeiner and his staff in its hour-long presentation in London was indeed the greater Toledo area - or maybe an idealized version of it.

Except Carty is not celebrating his award with Perrysburg, Oak Harbor, Monroe, etc. In the Nov 27, 2007 City of Toledo press release titled Toledo was voted the most livable city in North America , Toledo is the only community mentioned. The words 'metro', 'area', and 'region' are also missing from the press release. Carty is clearly using the area to claim a Toledo accomplishment.

I'm not surprised at this. This is typical behavior of Toledo-based politicians who view the area as how can other communities serve Toledo, instead of how all the communities together can help the region.

Also from this Blade story :

The mayor also said that deer, foxes, and bald eagles are seen within Toledo's borders.

The above is true. I've seen red fox in Woodlawn Cemetery. A few years ago, bald eagles nested near Cullen Park. Maybe that nest is still active. I don't know. But bald eagles can be seen flying overhead from within Toledo. Bald eagle numbers in the southwestern Lake Erie region have been increasing for years. And of course, deer are everywhere.

posted by jr on Dec 04, 2007 at 10:30:08 am #

Also from that Dec 4 Blade story :

Katerina Bekyarska, a spokesman for the mayor who helped assemble the presentation, said they did not mislead the judges. "A lot of this is based on the region. A lot of times when we said city we didn't mean the city of Toledo governmental institution, we meant the region."

Again, that 'region' thing is not obvious in last week's city press release.

But here's the worse part of it all, and this shows the rampant ignorance infesting the Finkbeiner administration :

She said the fact that some of the initiatives touted are very new - such as the Rain Garden Initiative and the Garden Partners Initiative, which began in April - shouldn't detract from their value. "Heck, the whole environmental issue has not been around for 30 years," Ms. Bekyarska said.

Holy hell. And we're suppose to believe Bekyarska when she said the city meant the region? The book Silent Spring is widely credited with helping launch the environmental movement in the West. That book came out in 1962. Someone in city government needs to inform Bekyarska that's 45 years ago.

Silent Spring facilitated the ban of the pesticide DDT in 1972 in the United States.

That's 35 years ago.

The book documented detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment, particularly on birds. Carson said that DDT had been found to cause thinner egg shells and result in reproductive problems and death.

Carty's presentation, which Bekyarska help create, mentioned Bald Eagles being seen in Toledo. One major reason for the Bald Eagle resurgence is due to the ban on DDT.

Wikipedia Bald Eagle article :

Once a common sight in much of the continent, the Bald Eagle was severely affected in the mid-20th century by a variety of factors, among them thinning of egg shells, attributed to the use of the pesticide DDT. With regulations in place and DDT banned, the eagle population rebounded. The Bald Eagle can be found in growing concentrations throughout the United States and Canada, particularly near large bodies of water.

Again, the mayor's spokesman who helped assemble the presentation, said: "Heck, the whole environmental issue has not been around for 30 years."

So how does a Web master double as the mayor's spokesman?

February 2007 Toledo Talk posting titled Toledo gov plans to redo city Web site, which pointed to a Feb 16, 2007 Toledo Free Press story :

Katerina Bekyarska, new Web master for the City of Toledo, said her first priority is to revamp an outdated Web site that is in dire need of a major overhaul. Bekyarska won't be responsible for designing the Web site's layout and maintaining the software that will manage and place content.

Bekyarska, whose educational background is in communications, said she hopes her work will help visitors to the city's Web site, ci.Toledo.oh.us, access information on city services. She also would like the site to serve as a marketing tool for individuals considering moving to Toledo or companies interested in conducting business in the city.

Bekyarska must sell enough advertising on the Web site to cover her $54,000 annual compensation, which includes fringe benefits, Schwartz said. Her actual salary, he said, is $32,000 a year. “Because of the budget situation, we didn't want to put the burden on taxpayers' dollars,” he said. After reaching the $54,000 plateau, Schwartz said, Bekyarska would qualify for bonuses to be paid after she surpasses designated performance goals. Other additional sales dollars would be put into the city's general fund, he said.

The City of Toledo launched its new Web site in October. The Web master must have met her sales quota for advertising, so now the Web master has time to handle spokesman duties.

Bekyarska is from Bulgaria and has only lived in the U.S. for a few years. Someone might use this info as a lame reason why Bekyarska is unaware of the environmental movement in the U.S. But I would think a Web master would have the ability to do a Google search on 'United States environmental movement' and learn that the issue has existed for more than 30 years.

posted by jr on Dec 04, 2007 at 11:32:58 am #

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