Five projects, one common idea<\/h3>\n
The five finalists range in scale from approximately 2,207 square feet (205 square meters)<\/strong> to 48 kilometers<\/strong> in length, but the jury said they all share the same message: public space of any size can serve as critical infrastructure to confront the climate crisis.<\/p>\n Barcelona’s Pla\u0000e7a de les Gl\u0000f2ries Catalanes project removed surface traffic and placed vehicle circulation below ground, freeing the plaza for green space and gathering areas that serve as a local climate refuge.<\/p>\n The Rotunda Baths in Logro\u0000o\u0000o stood out for its inventive reuse of a traffic circle into a temporary cooling and bathing installation. Architect Leopold Banchini constructed a pavilion of raw wooden boards at the center of the roundabout, converting the fountain into a shallow pool. The brief lifespan of the installation underscores how difficult it is to make permanent changes to car centered infrastructure.<\/p>\n The largest finalist, the Le\u0000a7a Green Corridor, stretches 48 kilometers and introduces 22 hectares of linear public space to promote ecological recovery and sustainable travel. The panel noted that most of the 25 shortlisted projects are landscape led, and that reusing existing infrastructure is almost a prerequisite for selection.<\/p>\n Italy’s Peace Park in Vicenza turned an old airport into a 65 hectare landscape park, which is about 161 acres<\/strong>. The jury said southern Europe is well represented among the five finalists because the urgency of heat waves there has made climate adaptive public space a higher priority.<\/p>\n For Hong Kong urban planners and residents, the shortlist is less about who will win and more about the approach. Hong Kong’s public space has long been dominated by roads, underpasses, and parking areas where pedestrians always yield space. The five European projects show alternatives: transport infrastructure does not always have to be demolished to be repurposed into parks, baths, or climate shelters.<\/p>\n The Rotunda Baths entry, which existed for only one week yet made the shortlist, demonstrates that the jury values demonstration projects and ideas as much as finished construction.<\/p>\n The winner will be revealed Oct. 15. Shortlisted teams will present their proposals publicly at the CCCB on Oct. 14.<\/p>\n European public space prize finalists all reclaim land from cars, with five projects from Spain, Portugal, Italy and Belgium showcasing parks, baths and green corridors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":981311,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5032],"tags":[35615,48050,48259,10864,48257,29637,48258,48260,47491,48236],"class_list":["post-981557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-design-en-2","tag-architecture","tag-cccb","tag-climate-resilience","tag-design","tag-european-public-space-prize","tag-green","tag-peace-park-vicenza","tag-public-parks","tag-urban","tag-zuidpark"],"raw_content":" European public space prize finalists will be announced Oct. 15 at the Centre de Cultura Contempor\u00e0nia de Barcelona (CCCB), and all five shortlisted projects share a single theme: reclaiming land from cars to create parks, public baths, and green infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n The Centre de Cultura Contempor\u00e0nia de Barcelona launched the award in 2000 to recognize the creation, transformation, and recovery of urban public space across Europe. The prize is given every two years, and unlike many architecture awards, it honors both the design teams and the public institutions that promoted the projects, placing equal weight on design quality and public benefit, the CCCB said.<\/p>\n\n The jury is chaired by architect Eva Prats, and the 2026 edition shortlisted five finalists out of 381 entries from 38 countries. Over its 25 years the prize has received about 2,800 entries<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n The five finalists range in scale from approximately 2,207 square feet (205 square meters)<\/strong> to 48 kilometers<\/strong> in length, but the jury said they all share the same message: public space of any size can serve as critical infrastructure to confront the climate crisis.<\/p>\n\n Barcelona's Pla\u0000e7a de les Gl\u0000f2ries Catalanes project removed surface traffic and placed vehicle circulation below ground, freeing the plaza for green space and gathering areas that serve as a local climate refuge.<\/p>\n\n The Rotunda Baths in Logro\u0000o\u0000o stood out for its inventive reuse of a traffic circle into a temporary cooling and bathing installation. Architect Leopold Banchini constructed a pavilion of raw wooden boards at the center of the roundabout, converting the fountain into a shallow pool. The brief lifespan of the installation underscores how difficult it is to make permanent changes to car centered infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n The largest finalist, the Le\u0000a7a Green Corridor, stretches 48 kilometers and introduces 22 hectares of linear public space to promote ecological recovery and sustainable travel. The panel noted that most of the 25 shortlisted projects are landscape led, and that reusing existing infrastructure is almost a prerequisite for selection.<\/p>\n\n Italy's Peace Park in Vicenza turned an old airport into a 65 hectare landscape park, which is about 161 acres<\/strong>. The jury said southern Europe is well represented among the five finalists because the urgency of heat waves there has made climate adaptive public space a higher priority.<\/p>\n\n For Hong Kong urban planners and residents, the shortlist is less about who will win and more about the approach. Hong Kong's public space has long been dominated by roads, underpasses, and parking areas where pedestrians always yield space. The five European projects show alternatives: transport infrastructure does not always have to be demolished to be repurposed into parks, baths, or climate shelters.<\/p>\n\n The Rotunda Baths entry, which existed for only one week yet made the shortlist, demonstrates that the jury values demonstration projects and ideas as much as finished construction.<\/p>\n\n The winner will be revealed Oct. 15. Shortlisted teams will present their proposals publicly at the CCCB on Oct. 14.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"Extensive](\"https:\/\/ztylezman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ztylezman.com_featured-5.jpg\")
![\"View](\"https:\/\/ztylezman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ztylezman.com_ztylezman.com-2026-1024x683-1.jpg\")
![\"Aerial](\"https:\/\/ztylezman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ztylezman.com_inline1-3.jpg\")
![\"Park](\"https:\/\/ztylezman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ztylezman.com_ztylezman.com-2026-1-1024x710-1.jpg\")
![\"Wooden](\"https:\/\/ztylezman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ztylezman.com_inline2-3.jpg\")
![\"Rotunda](\"https:\/\/ztylezman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ztylezman.com_ztylezman.com-2026-2-1024x818-1.jpg\")
Scale and climate urgency<\/h3>\n
![\"Pedestrian](\"https:\/\/ztylezman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ztylezman.com_leca-860.jpg\")
![\"Green](\"https:\/\/ztylezman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ztylezman.com_ztylezman.com-2026-1024x379-1.jpeg\")
![\"Aerial](\"https:\/\/ztylezman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ztylezman.com_peace-860.jpg\")
![\"Park](\"https:\/\/ztylezman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ztylezman.com_ztylezman.com-2026-1024x767-1.webp\")
Lessons for Hong Kong<\/h3>\n
European public space prize finalists reclaim land from cars<\/h2>\n\n
Five projects, one common idea<\/h3>\n\n
\n
Scale and climate urgency<\/h3>\n\n
Lessons for Hong Kong<\/h3>\n\n