Who are the winners of the 2021 Eurocities Awards?

European cities competed in three categories: Zero pollution, Planning public spaces, and From farm to fork

Every year, the Eurocities network holds a conference, focusing on a specific theme and bringing together European leaders and politicians. Simultaneously, it awards cities for their good practice, initiatives, and achievements.

On 5 November, the winners of the 2021 Eurocities Awards were announced, with Nice Cote d’Azur (France), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Ghent (Belgium) receiving awards for their commitment to this year’s theme: “The power of cities – transforming society”.

3 distinct categories

This year, European cities competed in 3 categories: Zero pollution, Planning public spaces, and From farm to fork. In addition to this, Eurocities further held a members’ vote for the first time, allowing the participants of the conference to vote for their favourite project.

The panel of expert judges selected Nice Cote d’Azur as the winner of the “Zero pollution” award for its innovative Recyclerie des Moulins initiative. This outstanding project boosts the local economy, creates jobs, and drives urban regeneration by providing a space where unwanted items can find new life. In other words, it employs the principles of a circular economy.

With its Cloudburst initiative, Copenhagen was chosen as the winner of the “Planning public spaces” award. According to Eurocities, Cloudburst is a city-wide design project that consists of 300 sites whose purpose is to store excess rainwater, thereby protecting the city and enhancing public space. The Danish capital’s initiative also won the members’ vote.

Finally, the Eurocities jury chose Ghent as the winner of the “From farm to fork” category. Expanding on this, the city was awarded for its Ghent en Garde urban food strategy, which promotes a shorter, more visible food chain, reduced food waste, and more sustainable food, among others.

“Recovery is urgent. In cities, this is clearer than anywhere else since they have been deeply affected by the pandemic. Meanwhile, we must not forget our commitments to ensure a digital, green and fair transformation as the projects show: cities are a font of a million good ideas that can be shared, reused, upscaled and adapted and you just have to take a look at them to get inspired,” commented the President of Eurocities and Mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella.