The Urbanism Awards

Pictured above: Amersfoort, Netherlands (Winner, European City of the Year 2023)

The Urbanism Awards are a fundamental aspect the Academy of Urbanism’s commitment to learning from place. Through the Awards, the AoU and members investigate and recognise some of the best, most enduring or most improvement urban environments, in turn strengthening our national and international relationships and knowledge base.

Jump to the Archive

The Urbanism Awards have been a key output of the AoU since its inception, and from start to finish the process offers a brilliant CPD opportunity for AoU members. From shortlisting discussions, to in-person visits, all the way to the Awards Ceremony, the programme allows members to contribute and gain expertise, perspective, and ideas.

Next stage: Assessment visits from July to September

Find a full timeline breakdown listed below.

Process & timeline:

Call for nominations: January - March (Open to everyone)
Shortlisting: March (Open to Academicians + Young Urbanists)
Finalists announced: June (Click here to read 2024 announcement)
Assessment visits: July - September (Open to Academicians + Young Urbanists)
Voting: October (Open to AoU Members)
Awards Ceremony: Wednesday 13 November 2024 (Save the date)

2024 Urbanism Awards finalists

European City of the Year category:

Bristol, England
Helsinki, Finland
Reggio Emilia, Italy

Great Town / Small City category:

Bath, Somerset
Lewes, Sussex
Shrewsbury, Shropshire

Great Neighbourhood finalists:

Beaulieu, Chelmsford
Graylingwell, Chichester
Port Loop, Birmingham

Great Street finalists:

Church Street, Stoke Newington
Old York Road, Wandsworth
Strand Aldwych, Westminster

Great Place finalists:

Arc Westcliff, Scunthorpe
Mayfield Park, Manchester
Union Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen

Click here to download a full list of all Urbanism Awards finalists + winners since 2007

Great Place archive

Since the first Awards in 2006, we have visited, assessed, and celebrated 239 outstanding examples of good urbanism across the UK, Ireland, and Europe.

There are five awards given:

And these are assessed on the following:

Leadership and Governance: Is the place well managed, inclusive, fair?
Local Character: To what extent does the place provide a distinctive sense of place, identity and cultural resonance?
Amenity & Housing: To what extent is the place an attractive, safe and enticing place for people to live, work, play, visit and enjoy?
Commercial Success & Viability: To what extent does the place provide a conducive environment for wealth creation and distribution and is it able to support the maintenance and improvement of its urban environment?
Environmental Sustainability: To what extent does the place exhibit and promote environmental sustainability?
Community, Health and Wellbeing: To what extent does the place exhibit and promote civic behaviour, social cohesion, health and wellbeing?
Connectivity: To what extent does the place provide transport and access options to an appropriate range of urban services?

The Urbanism Awards