London Wins Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize 2026 for Urban Transformation

London was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize 2026 in recognition of its exceptional capacity to reinvent itself and deliver transformational change across a complex metropolis of more than nine million residents spread across 32 boroughs and the City of London Corporation. Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong presented the prize to London's Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan at a ceremony held at the Capitol Theatre on June 15, 2026, during the World Cities Summit. The award recognized London's resilient leadership and coordinated governance approach to urban development.

The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is a biennial international award jointly organized by Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Centre for Liveable Cities. It honours outstanding achievements and contributions to the creation of liveable, vibrant, and sustainable urban communities worldwide. The prize recognizes cities and their leaders for displaying foresight, good governance, and innovation in addressing urban challenges while delivering social, economic, and environmental benefits to their communities.

Five other cities received Special Mentions at the ceremony for their innovative approaches to urban challenges: Antwerp, Budapest, Guangzhou, Taipei, and Tianjin. The award ceremony and banquet formed one of the key highlights of the World Cities Summit 2026, held at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre from June 14 to 16, 2026. The summit provided an exclusive platform for government leaders and industry experts to address liveable and sustainable city challenges, share integrated urban solutions, and forge new partnerships.