2014 Green Capital City: Which Covenant Signatory will it be?

Today three out of four Europeans live in towns and cities. Urban areas concentrate most of the environmental challenges facing our society but also bring together commitment and innovation to resolve them. The European Green Capital Award has been conceived to promote and reward these efforts.

Starting in 2010, one European city will be selected each year as the European Green Capital of the year. The award is given to a city that:

• Has a consistent record of achieving high environmental standards;
• Is committed to ongoing and ambitious goals for further environmental improvement and sustainable development;
• Can act as a role model to inspire other cities and promote best practices to all other European cities.

Three Covenant of Mayors cities have been shortlisted to be crowned 2014 European Green Capital. The ceremony which will announce the lucky winner is to take place on 29 June in the Palacio Montehermoso in Vitoria-Gateiz, Spain, European Green Capital of this year and Covenant of Mayors signatory city. The shortlisted cities are Bristol, Copenhagen and Frankfurt. The day, which will culminate in the award ceremony, will begin with a workshop featuring representatives from the present European Green Capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz,  past winners Stockholm and Hamburg and also the European Green Capital for 2013, Nantes. The key topic will be “Green policies as a competitive advantage in cities.” The workshop will also involve a round table discussion with representatives from the three shortlisted cities for the 2014 competition title on the “Key to being a green city in 2014”. Noteworthy guests will include Janez Potočnik, the European Commissioner for the Enviroment and Mercedes Bressso, President of the Committee of the Regions. 

Past winning cities

2010    Stockholm

2011 Hamburg

2012    Vitoria-Gasteiz

2013    Nantes

2014?

The indicator areas (Le aree di indicatori ambientali)

The selection of the European Green Capital 2014 is based on the evaluation of the cities’ “green” performance under the following 12 environmental indicator areas:

1. Local contribution to global climate change

2. Local Transport

3. Green Urban areas Incorporating Sustainable land use*

4. Nature and biodiversity

5. Quality of local ambient air

6. Noise pollution

7. Waste production and management

8. Water consumption

9. Waste water treatment

10. Eco-innovation and sustainable employment*

11. Environmental management of the local authority

12. Energy performance*

* denotes modified or new indicator for this cycle.

Applicant cities for 2014 Award (Le città candidate per il premio 2014)

Nineteen cities applied, however Paris withdrew their application therefore leaving eighteen applications for evaluation. A map and list, in alphabetical order, of these applicant cities are presented below. Of the eighteen cities to be evaluated eleven are signatories of the Covenant of Mayors and thirteen European Countries are represented. The smallest city by population is Tampere in Finland with a population of 207,886, whereas Bursa in Turkey has a population of 1,905,570.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(dal sito European Green Capital)

• Cities
• Green Communities