Who’s best at multi-crisis management? Eurocities awards three cities

The award ceremony took place in the context of the ongoing Brussels Urban Summit 2023 mega-event

On 14 June, during the Brussels Urban Summit 2023 mega-event, Eurocities, one of the most influential urban partnership networks in the world, handed out its annual awards in three categories. The winners are Bilbao, Hamburg and London, each of which had impressed the jury with an innovative approach to solving a particular problem with regards to sustainability, social inclusion and youth engagement.

"The award winners are an endless source of inspiration for successfully turning challenges into solutions," said Burkhard Jung, President of Eurocities and Mayor of Leipzig. He added: "Against the background of the climate and energy crisis, war in Europe, and an uncertain future for our youth, Hamburg, Bilbao and London spearheaded positive change, paving the way for others to follow in their footsteps.”

A closer look into the outstanding initiatives

Each of these European cities came ahead of the competition when it comes to innovative planning and thinking. Let’s take a close look.

• Hamburg won in the "Managing the energy crisis sustainably" award category with MySmartLife. The project established a foundation for an innovative urban transformation strategy to get rid of fossil fuels.
• Bilbao won in the "From human global mobility to local community cohesion" category with Diversitours. This intercultural community project promoted inclusivity by offering guided tours led by migrant groups in three neighbourhoods of the city.
• London won in the "Young people co-creating public spaces" category with Seen & Heard. This research and engagement project was designed to give young people (aged 16-24) a voice in the management of their local public space.

The candidates were judged by an independent jury of five, made up of representatives from the conference host city, an expert on urban issues, civil society, the EU institutions and the media.