This Italian region now has Europe’s highest Tibetan bridge
It’s not for the faint-hearted
Dijon, Grenoble, Tallinn and Turin proceed to the final stage of the competition
The finalists of the next European Green City Awards have been announced. Four shortlisted cities will compete for the 2022 European Green Capital Award (EGCA) and another five urban areas have made it to the finals of the European Green Leaf 2021 (EGLA). All of them show brilliant results in terms of building urban resilience and sustainability.
This year’s high-flyers among the large cities (above 100,000 inhabitants) include two French cities – Dijon and Grenoble, one Italian one – Turin and the Estonian capital of Tallinn. One of them will become the next European Green Capital 2022 and will win EUR 350,000 to kick-start its green year.
Each of the finalists has been assessed by independent sustainability experts against 12 environmental indicators. At this stage of the contest, the cities will have to convince an international jury of their commitment to sustainable development and of their aptitude to truly serve as role models for other cities while also demonstrating a communication strategy capable of engaging local citizens.
The winning city will join a prestigious club of 12 other green capitals, which have won the title since the first edition of the awards in 2010 to 2021. Should everything go as planned, the award ceremony will take place in 2020's winner, namely Lisbon, Portugal this autumn.
Smaller towns and cities (20,000 to 100,000 inhabitants) will, of course, also win a similar recognition. After the success of the European Green Capital, the European Green Leaf Award was established in 2015 and is now looking for its 10th winner.
The urban areas that made it to the 2021 finals are Elsinore (Denmark), Gabrovo (Bulgaria), Lappeenranta (Finland), Nyborg (Denmark) and Ringkøbing-Skjern (Denmark). Up to two cities may win the award and receive EUR 75,000 each.
The environmental achievements of the five finalists have, too, been assessed by an international jury based on 6 environmental topic areas.
There can be up to two winners in the European Green Leaf 2021 award. Image: The European Commission
EGCA 2022 & EGLA 2021 are an initiative of the European Commission, aiming to promote the efforts of cities to become healthier places, resilient to the future crises caused by climate change, biodiversity loss and scarcity of resources. Learn more about the awards and which cities have been honoured so far on their official website.
What are the reasons for that and are there any possible solutions for that problem?
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
It’s not for the faint-hearted
Presenting the next chapter in the Dutch capital’s ‘Stay Away’ campaign aimed at rowdy tourists
The City says this has become a necessity due to the increasing number of incidents involving these vehicles
That way you can notify a canal lock keeper to open the gates so the animals can swim through
The organizers had been considering different Parisian spots, but always with the idea of the flame being visible to the people
Electricity production in that Eastern European country will not release direct CO2 emissions anymore
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
This initiative is not just about making books more accessible – it has larger ambitions in its sights
We owe the unusual cultural icon to this country in Europe
The country’s capital has been a pioneer in crafting policy and initiatives to improve coexistence between people and pets
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team