Zurich, Switzerland: The clock is ticking. On Monday, the 21 cities that have made it to the next Finalist phase of the New7Wonders Cities will be revealed, and it will be a day full of sevens.
At 7:07am GMT on Monday, 7 July (the 7th month), voting will temporarily pause as the data is collected to see which of the 28 cities have made it into the next Finalist phase. At 7:07pm GMT, the successful 21 cities will be announced. And all this on the 7th anniversary of the Official Declaration of the man-made New7Wonders of the World — the first global vote from New7Wonders — which historically took place on 7/7/07.
Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New7Wonders, said “In the chronology of New7Wonders, 7 July occupies a unique place. And there’s an extraordinary aspect to the fact that such a significant moment in the New7Wonders Cities campaign coincides with such a milestone in the history of our movement.”
In alphabetical order, the current 28 Official Finalists in the New7Wonders Cities campaign are:
Athens, Greece; Bangkok, Thailand; Barcelona, Spain; Beirut, Lebanon; Casablanca, Morocco; Chicago, USA; Doha, Qatar; Durban, South Africa; Havana, Cuba; Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam; Istanbul, Turkey; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Kyoto, Japan; La Paz, Bolivia; London, United Kingdom; Mendoza, Argentina; Mexico City, Mexico; Mumbai, India; Perth, Australia; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Prague, the Czech Republic; Quito, Ecuador; Reykjavik, Iceland; St. Petersburg, Russia; Seoul, South Korea; Shenzhen, China; Vancouver, Canada, and Vigan, the Philippines.
Referring to the list of 28 cities that will soon be reduced to 21, Weber said they reflect the diversity of urban society, especially when, for the first time in history, more than half of our planet’s population lives in cities. “The goal of the New7Wonders Cities campaign is to encourage debate about how cities should respond to the challenges of the present and the future,” he added. “By voting in this worldwide campaign, people everywhere can decide the 7 cities that best represent the achievements and aspirations of our global urban civilization.”
The 21 cities that qualify on 7 July will then proceed in the second Finalist phase, which will run until 7 October, when the list will be reduced to 14. As with all New7Wonders campaigns, voting is via www.new7wonders.com, via the iPhone and Android apps, via the international telephone voting lines, and, where available, via national SMS. The Official New7Wonders Cities will be revealed on 7 December 2014.