Editorial

More than three billion people live in cities—half of the global population. Urban settlements the world over are grappling with the same problems: traffic chaos in inner city areas, ghettos forming in less attractive districts and a lack of funds that makes investment in infrastructure almost impossible. A third of all city dwellers live in slums, without water or sanitation, without adequate space and with no security of ownership.

But there are potential solutions. The purpose of the Bilfinger Berger Award program, which was presented for the first time in 2007, is to highlight these solutions and to explore the degree to which they can be transferred to other regions of the world. The best concepts to emerge from this international competition are presented in our magazine. I would like to share with you here,however, the findings that impressed me most:somewhere in the world, the solution you are looking for already exists—all that is required of you is the courage to look beyond borders. And let us talk less about money and more about imagination and an orientation towards the needs of citizens, for this is what is important to the future of our cities.

HERBERT BODNER
Chairman of the Executive Board at Bilfinger Berger AG