KL, Vigan in Philippines named new 'Urban Wonders' of the world

SINGAPORE - Global campaign New7Wonders has ranked seven cities as the new urban wonders of the world - a list which includes Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, and Philippines' city of Vigan.

The project was created by French fiction writer, Bernard Weber, to highlight some of the greatest natural and man-made wonders of the world, according to Business Insider.

The business and technology website said the New7Wonders global competition picked its winning cities with a nominated pool of more than 1,200 nominees from over 200 countries.

After a first round of selection, the list was reduced to 77 and subsequently narrowed down further to 28 cities by a panel of experts which was headed by Federico Mayor, a former Director-General of UNESCO.

After which, Business Insider said hundreds of millions of voters around the world indicated their choice and the final seven cities were chosen.

In Asia, the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur and Vigan in the Philippines were selected, as well as other global cities such as Beirut, Doha, Havana, South Africa's Durban and Bolivian city of La Paz.

The lesser-known of the seven, Vigan is one of the few preserved Hispanic towns left in the Philippines. Established in the 16th century, it is known for its cobblestone-covered streets and unique architecture. The historic town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.

Interesting to note, none of the winning cities are located in Europe or in the United States, and even popular places such as Istanbul, London, Chicago or St Petersburg did not make it to the list.

wjeanne@sph.com.sg