February 28, 2025

Habitat

Using public spaces to celebrate social unity and improve the quality of life

Park at the Warsaw Uprising Mound, Warsaw (Poland), 2023

""A new park in central Warsaw integrates the area's history by recycling World War II ruins to create an accessible, enjoyable public space that combines memory, leisure and ecological sensibility.""

The European Prize for Urban Public Space is a biennial award that honors exceptional projects that create, transform, or restore public spaces in European cities. This honorary prize highlights the vital role of public space as a catalyst for urban life.

A jury of architects, planners, designers, critics, historians, and curators evaluates projects based on several criteria, including the significance of the intervention, public ownership or a strong public-spirited mission, citizen participation and engagement, environmental improvements and innovations, and the project's ability to reduce social divides and enhance quality of life.

Their website is an inspiring survey of why public spaces matter.

WEBSITE: PublicSpace.org

Public Spaces

Habitat

How to turn an abandoned industrial site into an urban oasis, a community and cultural center, and a business incubator.

CASE STUDY: Transformation: The Story Of Creating Evergreen Brick Works

Habitat

Our trash might be the most honest thing we produce.

BOOK REVIEW: W.A.S.T.E. Not

Habitat

Designing a public space that emphasizes the sensory experience of books

Habitat

'On a porch, inside can feel like it’s outside.'