Glasgow has been named the winner of a prestigious international regeneration award for its work in transforming vacant sites.
Community gardening in one of Glasgow’s stalled spaces
‘City to City’ is a prize awarded by Barcelona City Hall and Spain’s Fostering Arts and Design government agency, which each year recognises the urban transformation processes experienced by a particular city.
An independent jury selected Glasgow City Council’s Stalled Spaces Initiative as the winner of the City to City Award for 2013. The two runners up were the Abalimi Bezekhaya (Farmers of Home) project in Cape Town and a flood prevention programme in Malmo, Sweden.
The jury commended the council’s work in promoting the temporary use of land in the city which currently has no function and into spaces managed by community groups for a variety of uses, including art exhibitions, education initiatives and play areas.
Baillie Liz Cameron, European Green Capital 2015 bid champion at Glasgow City Council, said: “This prestigious award is a fitting recognition of the council’s work in transforming derelict spaces and involving the local communities.
“The jury was particularly impressed that this is not an isolated initiative but rather forms part of the Glasgow Open Space Strategy and the City Council Strategic Plan 2012-2017. Above all, we are seeking, through the improvement of the spaces, open to the people of Glasgow, to activate the economy and the vitality of our communities.”
Further information on the Stalled Spaces project, highlighted in the video below, is available on a dedicated section of the Glasgow City Council website.
