Antwerp’s Zuidpark or South Park has won the European Prize for Urban Public Space, beating three other finalists from Italy and Spain. The award was presented in Barcelona in Catalonia on 15 October 2026, recognising the transformation of a former car park into a green public park in the Belgian city.
The biennial competition attracted nearly 400 entries from 38 countries. A jury selected 25 projects for further consideration, including initiatives in Paris, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Lisbon, Vienna, and Warsaw. The projects were praised for their emphasis on nature-based solutions, the reuse of existing infrastructure and universal accessibility.
Four finalists were subsequently shortlisted based on their urban integration, environmental sustainability and adherence to design principles: Zuidpark, Parco della Pace in Vicenza, Veneto; Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes in Barcelona; and Baños en la Rotonda in Logroño, La Rioja.
From car park to green urban space
Zuidpark has transformed Antwerp’s former Gedempte Zuiderdokken, once a large car park, into a green public space for recreation and neighbourhood life. The park opened in May 2024.
The competition’s organisers described the project as follows: “Zuidpark has transformed a car park on Antwerp’s former docks into a green lung in the city. The design integrates biodiversity, restores the water cycle and creates new neighbourhood spaces where residents can sit and spend time.”
Antwerp’s Alderman for Urban Development, Patrick Janssens (Vooruit), welcomed the international recognition.
“It is almost impossible to imagine that this used to be nothing more than a large, free car park, except when the Sinksenfoor fair was in town. Zuidpark has quickly become part of city life. Children play in its playgrounds, runners incorporate it into their routes and local residents meet there,” he said.
“It is great to see how a place that once consisted mainly of cobblestones has become a park where people in Antwerp enjoy spending time. This international award is a wonderful recognition of that transformation.”
Third award since opening in 2024
The European Prize for Urban Public Space is the third major award Zuidpark has received since opening. Earlier in 2026, it won the Green Cities Europe Award, while in 2025 the project received the Flemish Public Space Award and its public choice award.
The redevelopment was commissioned by the City of Antwerp and managed and coordinated by AG Vespa, the city’s autonomous municipal company. The Belgian-Swiss design and implementation team comprised Tractebel, ADR Architects, and Georges Descombes, working with Les Éclairistes Associés, and Erik De Waele.
Recognising Europe’s public spaces
The European Prize for Urban Public Space is organised every two years by the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB). It recognises projects that create, transform or improve public spaces across Europe.
More information is available on the competition’s official website.
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