The park triumphed over three other projects from Italy and Spain in the final round. This biennial award, celebrating the design and transformation of public spaces, received nearly 400 submissions from 38 countries this year. A jury selected 25 projects from cities like Paris, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Lisbon, Vienna, and Warsaw, all demonstrating a strong commitment to nature-based solutions, the reuse of existing infrastructure, and universal accessibility.
Following a further selection based on urban integration, environmental friendliness, and strict design principles, four finalists were chosen: Antwerp's Zuidpark, Parco della Pace in Vicenza (Italy), Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes in Barcelona, and Baños en la Rotonda in Logroño (Spain). Ultimately, the Zuidpark secured the top honor.
The organizing committee describes the project as follows: “The Zuidpark has transformed a parking lot on Antwerp's old docks into a green lung for the city. The design integrates biodiversity, restores the water cycle, and creates new neighborhood spaces where residents can sit and spend time.”
“"It's hard to imagine that this was once just a large, free parking lot, except when the Sinksenfoor fair was on. The Zuidpark has quickly become an integral part of city life. Children play in the playgrounds, runners incorporate it into their routes, and residents gather here. It's wonderful to see how a place that used to be mostly cobblestones has evolved into a park where Antwerp residents love to come and spend time. This international award is a fitting recognition of that metamorphosis."
The Zuidpark, which opened in May 2024, has now received its third award. Earlier this year, it won the ‘Green Cities Europe Award’, and last year, the urban development project received the ‘Vlaamse Prijs Publieke Ruimte’.
AG Vespa, an autonomous municipal company, managed and coordinated the redevelopment of the Gedempte Zuiderdokken into Zuidpark on behalf of the city of Antwerp. The design and execution were handled by a Belgian-Swiss team comprising Tractebel, ADR Architects, and Georges Descombes, in collaboration with Les Eclairistes Associés and Erik De Waele.
The European Prize for Urban Public Space is a biennial competition organized by the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) to highlight projects that create, repurpose, or improve public spaces in Europe.
