ICLEI Europe, together with Bertelsmann Stiftung, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the City of Aalborg, was proud to announce the City of Grenoble (France) as the winner of the 2025 Local Sustainability Award during the 12th European Urban Resilience Forum (EURESFO) in Rotterdam.
A strong and diverse pool of over 55 applicants were shortlisted to three finalist projects; Sustainability Protocol project by Barcelona Metropolitan Area (Spain), Revitalise Vilnius project by the City of Vilnius (Lithuania) and Breath of Schools project by the City of Grenoble (France) were all selected for their exceptional leadership, creativity, and commitment to the principles of the Aalborg Conditions - working toward a just, sustainable, and climate-neutral future.
Grenoble’s project ultimately secured the award on the strength of its people-centred, place-based transformation that rethinks urban sustainability from the ground up. “Breath of Schools” reclaimed over 20,000 m² of streets for children and community life - replacing asphalt with green, interactive spaces co-designed with parents, residents, and children themselves.
Grenoble has delivered an affordable, transformative social and environmental impact - aligned with the Aalborg Commitments - in one of the most vital urban spaces: around schools. It has already achieved measurable modal shifts (30% of parents switching to walking or cycling), improved air quality and safety, and boosted public space equity in real time.
Crucially, this is not a one-off intervention but a citywide programme: Grenoble is rolling out redesigns school by school, creating a connected network of liveable streets across every neighbourhood. The approach is highly replicable - both in other cities and around other public buildings such as kindergartens, squares, and libraries. By re-centring streets around play, care, and climate resilience - with aesthetics, biodiversity, and health at its core - Grenoble’s model shows how cities can heal both people and planet while building a more inclusive, sustainable public realm.
As cities across Europe continue to rise to the challenges of sustainability, the Local Sustainability Award serves as a platform to amplify success stories, foster collaboration, and accelerate the transition to climate neutrality.
The Barcelona Metropolitan Area stood out with its binding Sustainability Protocol for Environmental Criteria, recognised for its holistic vision, robust data-driven framework, and strong inter-institutional collaboration. The protocol is mandatory for all public planning and construction contracts managed by AMB and IMPSOL, ensuring that it will systematically shape the environmental quality of public spaces and buildings across the metropolitan region for years to come. The jury also commended the initiative’s alignment with the Aalborg Commitments and its ambitious, forward-looking roadmap for continuous refinement and broader adoption.
Vilnius, through its Revitalise Vilnius project, tackles one of the most critical challenges facing cities across Europe: making existing housing both sustainable and resilient. The jury was particularly impressed by the city’s pragmatic yet ambitious strategy, which establishes the infrastructure needed to systematically renovate its extensive stock of high-rise residential buildings - one by one - over the coming years. By focusing on existing buildings rather than new construction, the project addresses the most urgent and high-impact area for CO₂ reduction in urban environments, while unlocking economies of scale that make deep renovation both feasible and replicable.
Find out more about the winner and finalists in this video here.
Keen for your city to take part in the 2026 Local Sustainability Award? Register your interest on: award.iclei-europe.org
About the Award
The Local Sustainability Award 2025 is a new initiative led by ICLEI Europe and partners, celebrating transformative sustainability action by cities, towns, and regions across Europe. It recognises projects that demonstrate ambition and innovation in building a sustainable future for all.