The Urbanism Awards
Identifying, learning from, and celebrating great places
Pictured above: Amersfoort, Netherlands (Winner, European City of the Year 2023)
The Urbanism Awards
The Urbanism Awards are a fundamental aspect the Academy of Urbanism’s commitment to learning from place. Through the Awards, the AoU and members investigate and recognise some of the best, most enduring or most improvement urban environments, in turn strengthening our national and international relationships and knowledge base.
The Urbanism Awards have been a key output of the AoU since its inception, and from start to finish the process offers a brilliant CPD opportunity for AoU members. From shortlisting discussions, to in-person visits, all the way to the Awards Ceremony, the programme allows members to contribute and gain expertise, perspective, and ideas.
Find a full timeline breakdown listed below.
The next cycle of the Urbanism Awards will run in 2026.
Process & timeline:
- Call for nominations: January - March (Open to everyone)
- Shortlisting: March (Open to Academicians + Young Urbanists)
- Finalists announced: June (Click here to read 2024 announcement)
- Assessment visits: July - September (Open to Academicians + Young Urbanists)
- Voting by Members: October
- Awards Ceremony (sold out): Wednesday 13 November 2024
European City of the Year category:
- Bristol, England
- Helsinki, Finland
- Reggio Emilia, Italy
Great Town / Small City category:
- Bath, Somerset
- Lewes, Sussex
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Great Neighbourhood finalists:
- Beaulieu, Chelmsford
- Graylingwell, Chichester
- Port Loop, Birmingham
Great Street finalists:
- Church Street, Stoke Newington
- Old York Road, Wandsworth
- Strand Aldwych, Westminster
Great Place finalists:
- Arc Westcliff, Scunthorpe
- Mayfield Park, Manchester
- Union Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen
Great Place archive
Since the first Awards in 2006, we have visited, assessed, and celebrated 239 outstanding examples of good urbanism across the UK, Ireland, and Europe.
There are five awards given:
- The European City of the Year
- The Great Town or Small City
- The Great Neighbourhood
- The Great Street
- The Great Place
And these are assessed on the following:
- Leadership and Governance: Is the place well managed, inclusive, fair?
- Local Character: To what extent does the place provide a distinctive sense of place, identity and cultural resonance?
- Amenity & Housing: To what extent is the place an attractive, safe and enticing place for people to live, work, play, visit and enjoy?
- Commercial Success & Viability: To what extent does the place provide a conducive environment for wealth creation and distribution and is it able to support the maintenance and improvement of its urban environment?
- Environmental Sustainability: To what extent does the place exhibit and promote environmental sustainability?
- Community, Health and Wellbeing: To what extent does the place exhibit and promote civic behaviour, social cohesion, health and wellbeing?
- Connectivity: To what extent does the place provide transport and access options to an appropriate range of urban services?
Byker, Newcastle
2018
Brixton, London
2013
Trieste, Italy
2022
Porto, Portugal
2020
Leipzig, Germany
2019
Bilbao, Spain
2018
Antwerp, Belgium
2013
Lisbon, Portugal
2012
Glasgow, UK
2011
Bristol, UK
2009
Berlin, Germany
2008
Edinburgh, UK
2007
