2025 Mayors Challenge Finalist Cities

Finalists will receive $50,000 and support to test breakthrough ideas for improving life in cities

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.

Each finalist city will receive $50,000 to prototype their idea. They will also participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Ideas Camp in July to hone and test their concepts with feedback from experts and fellow peers. In January 2026, the 25 city halls with the most promising ideas will each be awarded $1 million and operational assistance to bring their proposals to life.

View of downtown Abha, Saudi Arabia, with colorful buildings in the foreground and mountains in the background.

Abha, Saudia Arabia

Creating an AI-powered database of city architecture where citizens and tourists can better understand planned developments and provide feedback to maintain cultural heritage.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Streamlining data from across city departments into a single AI powered system that predicts risks and enables more responsive planning of city services.

Hwarang Recreation Area park and modern apartment buildings at summer in Ansan, Korea.

Ansan, South Korea

Creating a new youth center that connects Korean and immigrant youth through K-culture programming (Korean pop culture, music, food, and media) to lower cultural divides and combat social prejudice.

Kids playing in front of Haj Hamdi Mosque Alanis in As-Salt, Salt, Jordan.

As-Salt, Jordan

Training residents in historic stone building techniques to create employment opportunities and preserve the city’s historic architecture.

Barcelona, Spain

Helping deliver faster and fairer housing upgrades by streamlining financing and lowering technical and governance barriers for those who need it most.

Suburban homes in Beaverton, Oregon, in late afternoon.

Beaverton, United States

Creating a new path to affordable middle housing ownership by streamlining permitting processes for groups of future homeowners who then will work together to design and build homes simultaneously to bring down costs.

Beira, Mozambique

Fortifying inland neighborhoods with new infrastructure based on input from the local fishing community to successfully relocate at-risk coastal communities.

Sunset over Belfast with colorful twilight sky above the Lagan Weir pedestrian and cycle bridge spanning the Lagan River in downtown Belfast.

Belfast, United Kingdom

Transforming 126 miles of neglected alleyways into community-owned green spaces to create safer, healthier, and more connected communities.

Benin City, Nigeria

Expanding access to vital healthcare for women through smart health kiosks, mobile outreach units, and a digital referral system.

View of Boise downtown and Idaho Capitol on a fine autumn morning as seen from Capitol Blvd.

Boise, United States

Delivering geothermal heating and cooling to affordable housing developments through a city-run service, reducing emissions and lowering energy costs for families.

Aerial view of Boston, Massachusetts with green space, a lit street, and city buildings in soft, blue and pink light.

Boston, United States

Installing traffic sensors that use AI at critical intersections to prioritize school buses, improving student learning by reducing commute times and tardiness rates.

Budapest skyline with St. Stephen's Basilica, aerial view, Hungary.

Budapest, Hungary

Building a city-run food processing plant that can turn surplus fruits and vegetables from local markets into nutritious meals for schools and senior homes.

The Rivire Mapou flowing through Cap Haitien, Haiti, Caribbean.

Cap-Haïtien, Haiti

Reducing unauthorized construction in high-risk areas with new zoning system that maps flood-prone and unstable areas and raises public awareness about them through media campaigns and physical markers.

Cape Town, South Africa

Establishing a first-of-its-kind recycling and waste collection system in informal settlements by collaborating with local organizations and integrating informal waste pickers to formalize and expand their work.

Cartagena, Colombia

Equipping vendors in the historic city center with eco-friendly carts that support digital payments and trash disposal to improve food safety and waste management in tourist areas.

Cauayan, Philippines

Creating a new early warning system for dengue fever outbreaks that uses data from mosquito traps, sensors, and other sources to better alert residents.

Choma, Zambia

Designing a new water and waste system by combining solar powered water purification, initiatives to turn waste into resources like compost, and employment opportunities for women and youth.

Ecuador, Cuenca, view to row of houses and Santo Domingo church in the background.

Cuenca, Ecuador

Addressing water scarcity in the city through a mobile app that provides residents with conservation tips and real-time data on water consumption, school-based education to promote conservation, and low-cost infrastructure improvements.

Detroit, United States

Creating a new single data set that connects all relevant information, such as inspection dates, taxes, and utilities, on all 400,000 properties in the city to improve service delivery and planning.

Fez, Morocco

Formalizing the work of informal waste pickers to operate a new waste sorting center that offers better working conditions and trainings to promote recycling and improved waste collection.

A panorama of Fukuoka tower aerial view from drone at sunset along with Momochi beach, Fukuoka prefecture, Japan.

Fukuoka, Japan

Embed dementia-friendly approaches into everyday city services to better serve the aging populations.

Image of orange sunset with cityscape of Ghaziabad urban sprawl, India viewed from residential balcony.

Ghaziabad, India

Converting organic waste into white rooftop paint and compost to cool homes, green parks, and lower emissions while providing employment opportunities for women.

Belgium, Ghent, old town, Korenlei and Graslei, historical houses at River Leie at dusk.

Ghent, Belgium

Improving the residents’ ability to access services online by removing confusing application processes and using data from multiple sources to automatically match vulnerable individuals with benefits.

Aerial view to Ullanlinna district on the shore of Helsinki in summer.

Helsinki, Finland

Countering the harmful effects of social media on youth by creating a holistic city-wide strategy that will include, age-specific curricula in schools, guidance for parents at-home support, and strategies for frontline staff (such as teachers and youth workers) to address the issue.

Panoramic view of buildings in city against sky,Honolulu,Hawaii,United States,USA

Honolulu, United States

Building rooftop and community gardens directly into new developments and infrastructure, including a new rail line, to make fresh produce more accessible for underserved populations.

Kanifing, Gambia

Transforming underused community centers into waste management sites with an app to message and provide incentives that increase trash drop off rates, increase recycling and composting, and provide employment opportunities for youth.

Kyiv, Ukraine

Enhancing an online education platform created to keep students engaged during the war by integrating AI to personalize learning and mental health services used on the platform.

Evening in La Fayette, Louisianna. A building with reflective windows is in the foreground, showing the cityscape behind the camera.

Lafayette, United States

Streamlining sewage pipe repairs on private properties by creating a public-private partnership that will manage and repair leaks at no cost to the owners, increasing sewage system capacity.

A view of Hutt river and Wellington harbour against blue sky, looking south from Hutt valley, Wellington, NZ.

Lower Hutt, New Zealand

Using AI to create an emergency response system that delivers real-time updates in multiple languages to better reach diverse communities and allows residents to share live updates into the system to improve emergency response.

A Night Cityscape A Night Cityscape of Maceió City Taken from Mirador of São Gonçalo after Down

Maceió, Brazil

Providing entrepreneurs with training and digital resources to connect them and their products with more tourists.

Marseille, France

Launch a new real estate venture that will receive public and private funding to build housing that includes access to services for at-risk groups on unused city land.

A train speeds through the center of Medellin, Colombia.

Medellín, Colombia

Making progress towards their goal of "Zero Hunger" by using AI and partnerships to improve the efficiency, quality, and quantity of food distributed to the most vulnerable residents.

Mexico City, Mexico

Building a digital model of the city’s water system to monitor water scarcity levels, detect problems, and improve services, while providing greater transparency for residents who can view data and report outages.

A roundabout in Naga City, Philippines, with a grassy knoll at its center. Letters on the grass read, "Pilgrim City of Naga."

Naga, Phillippines

Developing a trusted early warning system for extreme rain and floods that is powered by AI and uses data from low-cost sensors and trained citizen scientists.

Rural area of Ndola, Copperbelt, Zambia.

Ndola, Zambia

Transforming the current informal bus network into a reliable, accessible, and safe public transport system through a mobile app and screens at stops that track buses in real-time and allow for digital payments.

View of the waterfront coastline with hotels in Netanya in Israel.

Netanya, Israel

Increasing access to early education and family support services through mobile carts that can be setup in various locations (like parks) to connect parents to nutrition assistance, speech therapy, and more.

Nouakchott, Mauritania

Piloting a model to deliver essential services in outlying neighborhoods that don’t currently have access by combining solar-powered lighting, wastewater reuse systems, health clinic upgrades, and public transit options.

Ortigas center and Pasig City, Metro Manila

Pasig, Phillippines

Transforming underused rivers and creeks into a system of floating parks that will provide green space for recreation and essential services like health clinics and libraries, while also reducing flood hazards and easing congestion.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Pairing AI and 24-hour human support to proactively connect vulnerable residents to essential city services such as health, education, transport, and social services.

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.

San Francisco, United States

Reimagining the public transportation system to be more welcoming and responsive to riders' everyday needs by improving customer feedback mechanisms, addressing user pain points in design, and introducing training and incentives for staff.

The sunset casts a golden glow over Seattle, Washington.

Seattle, United States

Transforming the city’s largest public event venue into a zero-waste campus by introducing reusable dishes and cutlery, onsite composting, and improved waste separation services.

Old fortress gate with light trails at downtown.

Seoul, South Korea

Preventing online child exploitation by creating educational campaigns, a youth support system, and a mobile app that uses AI to identify concerning behaviors and alert parents.

Sialkot, Pakistan

Doubling water service from 12 hours to 24 hours by introducing solar-powered pumps, real-time water management technology, and rainwater harvesting to create a lower cost, more resilient city water system.

A view of the South Bend, Indiana skyline as seen over the river.

South Bend, United States

Transforming the city’s 311 system from reactive to proactive by using AI to anticipate resident needs and preemptively connecting them with city services.

Surabaya, Indonesia

Reducing the environmental impact of single-use diaper waste in the river through a program that uses culturally aligned incentives to encourage the adoption of locally produced, high quality cloth diapers.

Taipei, Taiwan

Addressing bus driver shortages and improving transit reliability by using AI to manage scheduling and provide real-time crowding information to passengers, while establishing a program to train and support drivers.

Toronto, Canada

Engaging local food organizations and entrepreneurs (including food banks and restaurants) to provide mid-morning meals that reflect the cultural diversity of the community to all students in schools, reducing student hunger.

Finland Turku Aura River and Turku Cathedral Aerial View in Summer

Turku, Finland

Creating a multilingual website that helps residents, particularly immigrants and low-income families, better access food aid as well as financial and employment services.

Aerial view of a city, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

Visakhapatnam, India

Introducing a real-time emergency planning and response system that uses sensors, AI, and risk mapping to better predict and warn residents about weather-related disasters including floods, cyclone, and heatwaves.

Yonkers and the New York Downtown skyline.

Yonkers, United States

Improving the wellbeing of isolated seniors by connecting them to services through an app, a network of community hubs, and by mobilizing volunteers to assist seniors with daily needs.