Cities stand at the forefront of the sustainability movement. With so many people living in bustling metropolises and crowded urban areas, the potential for environmental harm is great – but so too is the possibility for revolutionary change. As the sustainability movement steams ever onward, city after busy city has taken it upon themselves to do something about the impending march of climate change. This year’s One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) has decided to recognize these greenest of cities.

The OPCC is a biennial global challenge that recognizes cities for their forward thinking in their efforts to combat climate change. The OPCC was first launched in 2011 as the Earth Hour City Challenge, and has since seen over 400 cities across 5 continents participate as whole populations move towards more mindful practices. This year’s OPCC looked at the various infrastructure solutions that cities have pursued, with a lens trained keenly on sustainable transport and mobility endeavours, in an attempt to help the world transition towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. This year’s OPCC saw 133 cities from 23 different countries participate in the Challenge. For each of the 23 participating countries, a particularly outstanding city was chosen by a panel of infrastructure experts as the countries’ OPCC National Capital, to recognize its commitment to a sustainable tomorrow.

A second competition was held simultaneous to OPCC. Named “We Love Cities,” the campaign was a social media popularity contest wherein citizens voted for their cities in a show of support and love while submitting ideas to their local governments to help improve the city. The campaign was held from the 7^th of May until June 2018, with the winners announced alongside those of OPCC.

Pasig City was announced as the National Capital for this years’ OPCC due to its efforts to reduce congestion and carbon emissions and the initiative shown by the local government to clean up the Pasig River. Seven other Philippine cities were recognized alongside Pasig City. The cities of Batangas, Catbalogan, Makati, Paranaque, San Carlos, Tagum, and Zamboanga also participated in the competition, adding to a total of eight cities represented in OPCC 2018. Three of these cities, namely Pasig, Makati, and San Carlos, moved on to become national finalists, with the former moving on to win both the OPCC grand prize and the national award for the “We Love Cities” campaign. The awarding ceremony was held on the 10^th of August at the Marco Polo Hotel, Ortigas as part of a two-day workshop where representatives from across the Philippines shared and discussed best practices in making cities more sustainable.

For all the stress that cities place upon the environment, there are countless efforts being carried out by countless people all across the world to reduce that impact. As years go by, cities are becoming cleaner, greener and more sustainable, and revolutionary ideas are constantly being discussed and brought into fruition. Cities like Pasig have taken the initiative to clean up their localities, and campaigns like OPCC have seen them and recognized them for their efforts. There is still a lot more that needs to be done, but if we are to consider the OPCC as an indicator for tomorrow’s cities, then tomorrow is looking bright.