Cities and local governments around the world have been on the front line of fighting against the COVID-19 epidemic, striving to maintain orderly operation of local public services, which help them accumulate a lot of experience in response to sudden crises. Since March 25, the two co-organizers of Guangzhou Award: the United Cities and Local Governments (hereinafter referred to as the "UCLG") and the World Association of Major Metropolises, has been organizing the Live Learning Experience anti-epidemic online seminar in partnership with UN-Habitat, which provides a platform for governments around the world to learn from each other on effective urban governance strategies.

Recently, Guangzhou Award Secretariat had an interview with Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of UCLG. Here is what we have discussed.

Q：What was your impression of Guangzhou in general? What left a lasting impression in particular? 

Emilia Saiz：Guangzhou is a very open city. Its trade history has opened it to the world and that shows in its parks and lively evenings. I love the older neighborhoods and its greenery. But most of all I love the spirit of its people. 

Q：How would you rank Guangzhou’s urban governance in terms of ensuring quality of life of its inhabitants? What do you feel has been done well and what needs to be improved? 

Emilia Saiz：Guangzhou has evolved a lot in the past years. We have seen how public space infrastructure has been developed and how local development investment has been pushed through. We have seen measures to enhance the use of public transport versus cars has been stimulated. The cultural live of Guangzhou is also remarkable. As with every big metropolis in the planet, I feel more will need to be done to ensure that people spend less time going from home to work and vice versa. The air quality will remain an important indicator, and care facilities for the elderly and people with disabilities will be critical for the future. Finally, continued investments in education and technology, and focusing on youth will be critical. None of these things are unique to Guangzhou nor can they be solved by Guangzhou city alone. Only a more comprehensive territorial approach in good collaboration with the national strategy will be critical. 

Q：What in your view are the major changes in urban governance that will be required to build back better post-Covid-19? 

Emilia Saiz：The COVID-19 has, if anything, showed us that some of the ways in which our world was already moving were not the right ones, and has stressed many of the inequalities that we already knew.

The UCLG Presidency has issued 10 recommendations around areas that will necessitate special attention. They are related to addressing inequalities and protecting the most vulnerable. We are convinced that solidarity at all levels needs to be the guiding principles in policies, and that models of proximity production and consumption, that are mindful of small producers, become the new normal. 

We need to care for the people that have been taking care of us during the pandemic: doctors and nurses, of course, but also of public servants who have driven us to our workplaces, who have taught through virtual classrooms and many, many more.

The biggest change that we will need is to transform the way that decisions are being made. Our local knowledge and resolve have been critical to provide services during the pandemic, and local perspectives need to be considered when taking decisions in the global sphere.

Q：What, in your experience, are the critical components of urban innovation? 

Emilia Saiz：Addressing special inequality has proven to be one of the key challenges of the urban era. It has enhanced the global vulnerability and the current pandemic is a clear example of the impact it can have. We will need to address the morphology of our urban settlements from a different perspective in which time and technological infrastructure play a much bigger role than they have done today. Mobility will acquire a new meaning in the Post COVID era. 

Neighborhoods will become more important centers of our life and polycentrism will need to include in the governance architecture of cities big and small. Giving voice to communities, involving different stakeholders and exchanging experiences from different contexts will need to inspire us, to open our mind for future opportunities. Most of the past editions of the Guangzhou award edition have made special emphases in the co-creation with communities.
This is the spirit of the Guangzhou Award and, in my view, this is how it will continue to be.  

Q：As for urban governance, what new trends do you think there will be in the future?
Emilia Saiz：It will be critical to ensure that each level of government has the capacity both technical and financial to address the needs that arise after the outbreak. It will be imperative the decisions are made at the level closest to the problem and vertical and horizontal integration will be critical. Sectoral approaches do not work anymore. Our problems are too complex and interdependent. Our public service delivery will need to overcome access barriers and make sustainable use of our common resources. Low tech solutions, community knowledge and circular economy need to play a bigger role in our societies. This does not imply losing the connection with the world and reverting back to old models, but making sure that connection provides added value. The solution to global problems needs to be based on local knowledge and respond to the needs of our communities. 

Q：What’s your expectation for the 5th cycle of Guangzhou Award? Would you like tosend some words to the potential participants?

Emilia Saiz：The current context has demonstrated that everything can change and that models that do not protect the most vulnerable need to be challenged. The system is only as strong as its weakest component. 

I encourage members to be bold and to build proposals that take into account international components. Local Action with global vision is what we need. I cannot wait to see the proposals we receive. I am sure the next edition will be even more memorable than the 4th before, the current context certainly calls for it.