Each year, Bloomberg Philanthropies hands out innovation awards, accompanied by a large donation of money to various cities around the world. Athens was among five cities awarded in 2014. The grand prize went to Barcelona for the creation of “Trust Network,” a digital community aimed at assisting the elderly. The aware is accompanied by a prize of 5 million euros. The remaining awards went to Athens, Stockholm, Warsaw and the English city of Kirklees. Each city will receive a donation of one million euros each. More than 150 cities from 28 countries participated in this year’s competition. The award was given to Athens because of its creation of a new online platform, “SynAthina,” which aims to connect citizen groups that organize activities to improve the quality of life in the city. “The devastating financial crisis adversely affected the labor market, infrastructure, and life in the urban centers of Greece. Athens will create an online platform that helps civil society, local institutions, and local government to collaboratively devise solutions to local problems, which in turn will help ensure the development of sustainable neighborhoods for the revival of Athens,” said Bloomberg. “SynAthina” was created by the Municipality of Athens and has been on air for almost a year, offering all Athenians the opportunity to register their activities and learn about one another.
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