Savannah Standard

Mayor Van R. Johnson, II participated in the eleventh Bloomberg CityLab, a global summit organized by Bloomberg Philanthropies in collaboration with the Aspen Institute. The event took place from October 14 to 16 in Mexico City and gathered over 500 mayors, policymakers, and innovators worldwide.

The summit focused on urban advancements in digitization, transportation, economic development, and climate solutions. Mayor Johnson was among 116 mayors from 36 countries across six continents who attended the event. Participants engaged in panel discussions, one-on-one interviews, interactive breakout sessions, artistic performances, and excursions around Mexico City to explore strategies for making cities more livable, inclusive, and sustainable.

"I was so honored and excited to represent the City of Savannah in such an august gathering of national and global leaders," Mayor Johnson stated. "Our world is beginning to be a smaller place, and this summit offered a vital platform for urban leaders from around the world to share innovative solutions and collaboratively shape the future of our cities."

Bloomberg Philanthropies supports over 700 cities and 150 countries with initiatives aimed at improving lives through arts, education, environment, government innovation, and public health. In 2023 alone, it distributed $3 billion as part of Michael R. Bloomberg’s philanthropic efforts.

The Aspen Institute is a nonprofit organization that seeks to address society's most pressing challenges through dialogue, leadership development programs across its network based in Washington D.C., Aspen Colorado among other locations globally since its inception back in1949.