The Urbanism Awards

The Urbanism Awards are the Academy’s primary platform for recognising the best, most enduring or most improved urban environments.

From start to finish, the Awards process is a brilliant opportunity for our members to contribute and gain expertise, perspective, and ideas. 

And as well as providing a means to build relationships with places that are doing good work, the Awards help us to build a strong evidence base for high quality, innovative and sustainable urbanism.

Meet the 2023 finalists.

Banner photo: Trieste, European City of the Year 2022

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:

• The European City of the Year
• The Great Town or Small City
• The Great Neighbourhood
• The Great Street
• The Great Place

And these are assessed on the following:

1. Leadership and Governance: Is the place well managed, inclusive, fair?
2. Local Character: To what extent does the place provide a distinctive sense of place, identity and cultural resonance?
3. Amenity & Housing: To what extent is the place an attractive, safe and enticing place for people to live, work, play, visit and enjoy?
4. 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?
5. Environmental Sustainability: To what extent does the place exhibit and promote environmental sustainability?
6. Community, Health and Wellbeing: To what extent does the place exhibit and promote civic behaviour, social cohesion, health and wellbeing?
7. Connectivity: To what extent does the place provide transport and access options to an appropriate range of urban services?

The Great Place Award Winners

The Great Street Award Winners

The Great Neighbourhood Award Winners

The Great Town or Small City Awards Winners

The European City of the Year Award Winners