March 27 - June 21, 2014

The European Prize for Urban Public Space aims to recognize and make known successful examples of different applications of this democratic conception of the city. Over its history, the Prize – which is organized by the Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB) together with seven other European institutions – has amassed almost 1,300 experiences from more than 600 European cities. Hence, embracing cities from Glasgow to Istanbul, and from Lisbon to Bucharest, it has become an observatory with privileged perspectives on problems and solutions of the most diverse size and nature. Among all these experiences, the 35 winning works of the first seven editions of the Prize already constitute a gauge of the democratic quality of Europe’s urban and social fabrics. It is hoped that the fruits of this harvest will prompt re lection that can be shared with cities all around the world. 

The examples have been grouped here under seven headings: periphery, complexity, voids, water, mobility, memory and democracy. The ways in which these issues are addressed have emerged as empirically-learned lessons. In any case, they all confirm the social and political dimension that permeates the city and which is so well reflected in the Greek term polis. This is why it is so important to claim and defend the democratic quality of our cities. After all, as we shape cities, cities shape us.

Polis: 7 Lessons from the European Prize for Urban Public Space [2000-2012] is a major initiative of the 2014 Presidential theme: ‘Civic Spirit:Civic Vision.’

> via AIA New York Chapter-Center For Architecture