TEPR  Projects: Support for European Green Capital Applicants

Each year since 2010, the European Green Capital Award has been given to a large European city in recognition of the actions that they have taken, and which they plan to take, to reduce their impact on the environment. Since 2015, the European Green Leaf Award has been recognising smaller cities for their environmental action. These awards demonstrate that cities of all sizes can reduce their environmental impact and help to deliver a more liveable environment for their citizens.

The concentration of people and of economic activities in cities means that cities have significant impacts on the environment. As cities grow, these impacts will become worse unless they develop in ways that are more in harmony with the environment, both within the city itself and more widely. This means that cities are at the forefront of delivering a more sustainable planet.

Many cities have begun to do things differently, to think about how they can operate in ways that are sustainable from the perspective of the economy, society and the environment. The rationale behind the European Green Capital Award and European Green Leaf Award is to recognise the cities that are the leaders in Europe in terms of improving their environmental performance. The winners act as ambassadors and role models for other cities that are aspiring to take similar action.

In order to win either award, cities must complete and submit an application form outlining their past and future actions to improve their environmental performance across 12 indicator areas (or 6 for the European Green Leaf Award). The applications are then ranked by an expert panel, which includes one expert in each indicator area. The best ranked cities are then short-listed and have the opportunity to present to a jury, which chooses the winners.

Between 2014 and 2019, Ian Skinner of TEPR was the expert on the ‘Sustainable Urban Mobility’ indicator for both the European Green Capital Award and the European Green Leaf Award. In May 2019, Ian presented at the Applicant Workshop for cities, who were considering applying for the European Green Capital Award in 2022. His presentation included an overview of the requirements for the ‘Sustainable Urban Mobility’ indicator, as well as more general tips and advice for cities that are considering submitting an application.

Ian’s tips and advice to cities can be found downloaded here or from the EGCA’s website. If you have any questions on the presentation – either on the mobility indicator itself or more generally on what it takes to be a successful EGCA applicant – please contact Ian at ian.skinner@tepr.co.uk.