The five finalists of the have been announced for the European Prize for Urban Public Space, the biennial competition that rewards the best practices for the democratisation and ecological transition of urban spaces. Established in 2000 by the Centre for Contemporary Culture in Barcelona, the prize has seen the number of entries and institutional partners based in other countries grow with each edition.

For 2026, no fewer than 381 projects were submitted. The jury faced a lengthy process of analysis before ultimately identifying five projects united by the conversion of urban spaces designed for cars into areas designated as a form of resistance to the high temperatures associated with the climate emergency. From roundabouts turned into swimming pools to car parks converted into parks, here are the projects that will compete for the prize at the final on 15 October — including one Italian entry.

Zuidpark (Antwerp, Belgium)

Can a car park on old docks be transformed into a metropolitan green lung? Antwerp, the Belgian city with over half a million inhabitants, has proven it can with the Zuidpark project, inaugurated in 2024, which integrates biodiversity, restores the water cycle and creates new neighbourhood spaces where residents can sit and spend time.

The area sits in the peripheral neighbourhood of Zuid and covers around eight hectares, surrounded by long rows of trees. There is a central area featuring a large lawn and a water garden, while the two lateral areas alternate between rain gardens, play areas, sports facilities and dog-friendly zones. Separating these environments are two large squares where, among other things, events open to the public are also held. Cars have not disappeared entirely, as the surface car park has been replaced by a smaller underground garage. And speaking of what lies beneath, a large underground basin of 1,500 cubic metres collects rainwater, while a clay layer beneath the lawn captures excess water for reuse during future periods of drought.

Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes (Barcelona, Spain)

In Barcelona, a road junction featuring an enormous elevated roundabout has been transformed into a space halfway between a square and a park, open to the public.

The project concerns Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes and made it possible to create a new public space through the demolition of the elevated ring road and the burial of the carriageways beneath what has become a pedestrian space defined by vegetation and community participation. The inauguration took place in 2025 and also saw the opening of a new metro station to promote sustainable mobility.

Bagni rotondi (Logroño, Spain)

In Logroño, in the Spanish community of La Rioja, a concrete island in the middle of the road built as a roundabout became a public swimming pool for several days. The idea came from Swiss architect Leopold Banchini, who initiated a regeneration project starting from the disused fountain in the middle of the infrastructure. The basin was lined with raw wooden panels and filled with water to create something resembling a Turkish bath, also making use of cast-iron flower pots repurposed as braziers for heating.

The regeneration lasted only a few days as a temporary installation because the planning conditions for making it permanent were not in place: visitors would have found themselves walking along a heavily trafficked road to access it, and it would have been necessary to redesign the entire traffic flow around the block. "Traffic regulations are hard to change and any request usually has to go all the way up to the municipal authorities," Banchini told the British newspaper The Guardian. "Politicians are very afraid of touching anything to do with cars, because they fear it could cost them votes."

Corridoio Verde di Leça (Matosinhos, Portugal)

The banks of the Leça river, which flows through the metropolitan area of Porto, have been the subject of an enormous programme of remediation and restoration that also encompasses sustainable mobility.

Environmental and landscape degradation dominated a deeply industrialised area characterised by roads, warehouses and residential zones. The response was the creation of a 42-kilometre green corridor designed to create new public spaces, restore the river environment, improve landscape quality, promote biodiversity and ensure easy mobility both for commuters and for those who choose to go for walks or engage in sport — encouraging people to give up the car for their journeys. Native plants have returned to populate the banks of the Leça, while birds have resumed nesting and inhabiting the environment. A natural area that had fallen into abandonment has come back to life and is once again frequented by residents. Strictly without a car.

Parco della Pace (Vicenza, Italy)

Where the Dal Molin Airport once stood, there is now a green area of 65 hectares. We are in Vicenza, in the Veneto region, and the result of the regeneration project — begun in 2017 and completed with the 2025 inauguration — is the largest park in Europe relative to the city's population.

Within it are eight kilometres of walking trails, a canal network stretching over nine kilometres, lakes, wetlands and floodable basins that absorb water and release it when needed. And then meadows, allotments, sports facilities and other low-impact amenities for residents, as well as a rich flora and fauna that has returned to populate an area once occupied by tarmac and fossil-fuel-powered vehicles such as aircraft and cars.