For the first time in the six-year history of the award, almost all of the finalists were cities in developing countries: Leon, Guanajuato (Mexico), Lima (Peru), Nantes (France) and Tehran (Iran). According to the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) Guangzhou has a winning transportation system: a bike-sharing program, wide bicycle lanes lined with trees and a large rapid bus system. Jessica Morris, the senior program director for IDP said that Guangzhou clinched the prize largely because it surpassed expectations: "the city's recent transportation efforts make it a place that goes against the idea of a burgeoning Chinese metropolis that's only serving the economy".

In the past 6 years the Prize has gone to New York (United States), Paris (France), Guayaquil, (Ecuador), Seoul (South Korea) and Bogotá (Colombia).

Chinese site.