European Urban Prize Shortlists 5 Projects Reclaiming Car Space for Climate Resilience
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 9
European Urban Prize Shortlists 5 Projects Reclaiming Car Space for Climate Resilience
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 9
Summary
Five finalists announced Wednesday for the European Prize for Urban Public Space turn roundabouts, roads and car parks into cooler, greener public areas built to handle heat and heavy rain.
Logroño’s Round About Baths shows both the ambition and the limits of that shift: Leopold Banchini transformed a roundabout fountain into a public bath, but only for one week because traffic and safety rules blocked permanence.
Barcelona’s Plaça de les Glòries and Antwerp’s Zuidpark pushed further by burying traffic or replacing parking with green space; Zuidpark now has 500 new trees, rain gardens and measurably lower temperatures, according to University of Antwerp research.
The Antwerp project still keeps a 2,000-space underground car park, underscoring the political trade-offs architects say often accompany efforts to reduce car dominance in cities.
Portugal’s Leça Green Corridor and Italy’s Peace Park complete the shortlist, with the biennial prize winner due on 15 October.