Matosinhos becomes the first UN Resilience Hub in Portugal
The city joins the Province of Potenza (Italy) as the newest role models for the Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative
Seven out of nine top European cities for tourism are in the EU
Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Awards are highly prestigious prizes based on the rankings published every year and generally recognized by the industry professionals and independent travellers to be the ones to pay attention to. Readers’ votes determine the yearly rankings and this year they decided that the top European destination is Istanbul (Turkey). The rest of the top 9 list, however, is completed by EU cities, except the 8th spot taken by Reykjavik (Iceland).
What’s remarkable, however, is that the travellers have taken a particular liking to the country of Portugal. Its second-largest city, Porto, took the second spot after Istanbul – and the difference was less than a full point, with 92.78 and 93.67 respective scores. Portugal, though, claimed the first position as the best country destination in the world in the ranking published on 5 October.
For the 34th annual edition of the Reader's Awards, more than 800,000 readers from around the world responded to a questionnaire, which asked for choices in various parameters and on multiple scales. In other words, that is a ranking that is to be taken seriously.
Indeed, the publishers are adamant that in order to even get on the candidates' list, cities must meet certain criteria, such as high-quality gastronomic scene, smart hotels, friendly locals and attractive historical heritage sites.
The top nine cities, in order of ranking, are as follows:
The authorities in the top EU destination, Porto, were particularly proud of their success and they were quick to point out that they “dethroned the Portuguese capital (Lisbon) in this year’s list”. Talk about a fierce national rivalry.
Lisbon, indeed, slumped all the way down to the 15th position, but that was no obstacle for the Iberian country to claim the award for the best destination. Clearly, travellers know that a country’s charms are often not confined just to its main city and that often there is much more to explore by venturing out of it.
As for the countries list, three other EU Member States made it to the top 10: Italy (6), Greece (8) and Croatia (9).
Peace and quiet in Baroque surroundings
The mayor of Stanz im Mürztal is building a renewable energy cooperative and it comes with a whole new economic model
The focus will be on solidarity, sustainability and green development, as well as on social development and security in the city
According to the Eurostat report, women are significantly more educated than men in the EU
The Irish Environment Protection Agency released an updated map of affected regions in the country
The story of Dortmund’s 2011 Science City Masterplan and how it grew in the new decade
It involves strategically placed pictograms on the pedestrian crossings
Never too early to fall in love with soft mobility
100 trees will take the place of 100 parking spaces in this Belgian town
According to the Eurostat report, women are significantly more educated than men in the EU
It involves strategically placed pictograms on the pedestrian crossings
The Irish Environment Protection Agency released an updated map of affected regions in the country
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
An interview about AYR, one of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Prize winners
An interview with Nigel Jollands and Sue Goeransson from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
An interview with the President of the City of Athens Reception & Solidarity Centre
A talk with the Mayor of Malmö on the occasion of the city’s UN Resilience Hub status