Ten finalists selected for the 2024 European Prize for Urban Public Space

The international jury of the European Prize for Urban Public Space has chosen ten finalists who will compete for the prize's 12th edition.

Projects selected are located in eight countries: Belgium, Spain, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland. Most correspond to medium-sized cities, showing that sensibility and attempts to promote quality public spaces exist throughout European territory beyond big cities. 

According to the prize's organizers, 297 projects from 35 countries were submitted, "reflecting the important project activity that takes place in European public space, essential for the development of cities."

The final winners will be announced at the awards ceremony at The Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona on October 29th. 

Here are the ten finalists in the General and Seafront categories.

GENERAL CATEGORY

Boca de la Mina Promenade in Reus, Spain, by Batlleiroig

Project description: "A new promenade exemplifies the seamless integration of landscape, history, ecological needs, and health and leisure activities by means of meticulous design. The use of handmade brick gives the site a coherent character, while the clear water management strategy enhances landscape-urban permeability. This approach supports open-air activities for the citizens of Reus and its surroundings, promoting both ecological and recreational benefits."

Park at the Warsaw Uprising Mound in Warsaw, Poland, by topoScape, Archigrest

Project description: "A new park offers a public space connected to the memory of the place. It does so in an innovative way, creating a new urban area with character that acknowledges and visibilizes history, recycling the ruins of World War II destruction, and with the future in mind, providing a park that is accessible and enjoyable for citizens. It achieves this by means of strategies that are sensitive to the ecological needs of the area, projecting a unique integration of memory, leisure and ecology."

Seven interventions in Monte in Castel San Pietro, Switzerland, by studioser

Project description: "This project is the result of a thorough study of several peripheral regions of Ticino, where the needs and challenges faced by the elderly population in their everyday lives were identified as issues to be addressed. Following these recommendations, Monte implemented a proposal that, through careful, sophisticated architectural craftsmanship, transformed the town into a more accessible, inclusive and supportive environment."

CHAPEX in Charleroi, Belgium, by AJDVIV, AgwA 

Project description: "This large structure exemplifies how post-industrial sites can be reintegrated into the urban landscape and public life. It achieves this by leveraging the power of the unused structure and the project’s open-ended nature. This optimistic intervention embraces the existing site, identifies new opportunities with architectural intelligence and uses very limited resources to maximize urban qualities. It becomes an infrastructure ready for life to take over."

Urban Forest in Tbilisi, Georgia, by Ruderal

Project description: "This ambitious 700-hectare project aims to rectify a flawed plantation strategy from the 1920s that involved exclusively planting pines. This ageing pine plantation has suffered significant die-off due to pests and fungi, creating a fire hazard and posing a risk to public safety. The project serves not only as a remediation strategy, by increasing biodiversity through the introduction of autochthonous species, but also to develop new tools for addressing urban ecological interventions. It offers a new public space and an urban forest that helps contain unchecked urban growth, providing Tbilisi with a forward-looking, open-ended project."

SEAFRONT CATEGORY

Beach improvement and redevelopment of the harbor edge in Porto do Son, Spain, by CREUSeCARRASCO, RVR Arquitectos

Project description: "This project renaturalizes the seafront, currently occupied by an urbanized strip, by creating a terrain with dunes that protects an existing park and rebuilds the relationship between port activity and the citizens. The intervention employs a gradient of strategies that respond to the varying conditions of the frontline, and recognizes the identity of this village — salting, drying nets, shipbuilding — while demonstrating the benefits of collaboration over time between various political, civic and economic stakeholders."

Redevelopment of Dún Laoghaire Baths in Dublin, Ireland, by DLR Architects’ Department, A2 Architects

Project description: "The project revitalizes the long-abandoned seafront facilities, reconnecting the town with the sea. This was achieved through the careful, skillful use of materials that acknowledge the ocean’s energy, resulting in a robust, socially inclusive new route to the water for all citizens. The project included the removal of old, dilapidated buildings, opening new public spaces that restore the citizens’ relationship with the sea."

Coastal walk in Palamós, Spain, by Estudi Martí Franch Arquitectura del Paisatge, Ardevol Consultors Associats

Project description: "This 5 km coastal intervention exemplifies excellent design, preserving and enhancing the coastal landscape while connecting the town, nearby beaches and a natural park. Through minimal interventions that maximize impact, it demonstrates a deep understanding of the site. This approach celebrates the sublime landscape, reduces user impact and ensures its protection."

Sea Park in Rímini, Italy, by Benedetta Tagliabue - EMBT Architects

Project description: "The park transforms the previously unstructured, fragmented seafront into an urban park, seamlessly integrated with its surroundings. Along its 6 km length it recognizes and embraces the city’s exuberance, providing a new identity and a green urban space for tourists and locals alike. This park plays a crucial role in reducing the impact of climate change while mitigating the intense touristic impact on the urban character and quality of the area."

Beach Boulevard in Delfzijl, Netherlands, by LAOS landscape urbanism

Project description: "The project has reconnected the city centre of Delfzijl to the Wadden Sea. Due to rising sea levels and climate change, there was a need to increase defences, which had created a visual barrier between the city and the sea. The new boulevard addresses this issue by linking the two and generating a new public space by means of infrastructural improvements and ecological restoration. The engineering work inspired the design, and the resulting intervention promotes and improves access to the sea, and facilitates a better understanding of the landscape."