New European Bauhaus Prizes: Romania’s Făget Forest Park project among 2024 winners

The European Commission announced the 20 laureates of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Prizes 2024, and Romania's Făget Forest Park; Cluj's Green Lung is on the list. The local project was selected as the winner in the Reconnecting with nature category for managing recreation in and conservation of a large forest-park.

According to its application, the Romanian project was aimed to co-design and pilot an integrated multi-use management and operational plan for Făget Forest-Park - the largest planted area in the vicinity of Cluj-Napoca, a Natura 2000 site and a popular recreational destination for residents.

It was "meant at solving potential conflicts between different uses (nature protection and conservation of biodiversity; mitigation of climate change and regional climate regulation; recreational and tourism activities), in an NEB approach."

All winners received their awards on April 12 during a ceremony at the New European Bauhaus Festival from Elisa Ferreira,Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms,and IlianaIvanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, in the presence of Vsevolod Chentsov, ambassador of Ukraine to the European Union.

The New European Bauhaus Prizes reward outstanding projects and initiatives that combine sustainability, inclusion, and aesthetics, showing how the European Green Deal transition can practically enrich the lives of people and communities. They are awarded in four categories and two strands: one for established projects (the New European Bauhaus Champions) and one for promising initiatives from younger applicants (the New European Bauhaus Rising Stars).

This year's edition also included a special award for reconstruction projects from Ukraine, as well as a strong focus on EU regions facing socio-economic constraints or green transition challenges.

The winners and runners-up of the New European Bauhaus Champions prize for accomplished projects are Map4Water: One thousand fountains city (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Făget Forest Park; Cluj's Green Lung (Romania), Flytevi – Blue Urban Community Garden (Sweden), SET Community Gardens (The Netherlands), Concrete to Culture (Bulgaria), Rooftop Garden (Spain), Yes We Camp (France), A Sustainable Campus Transformation