People's Choice Award
Evaluators Team
Atlas of Utopias
2020 People's Choice Award FinalistsEvan Clayburg2020-12-04T07:54:06+01:00
Transformative Cities People's Choice Award
The People's Choice Award 2020: How does it work?
Through an open call we have collected practices of transformative change from all over the world. These practices have been evaluated by a global, multidisciplinary team in a peer-review process.
Three initiatives for each category (water, energy, housing and food systems) have been chosen, adding up to twelve stories in total. Next, the Transformative Cities initiative has commissioned local journalists to dig deep and pull out the people and practices behind these transformative practices. These stories will be published on different international media-outlets, reaching a global audience.
To select the awarded stories, the public (this means you!) will vote on the top twelve initiatives via this page, starting from 15th October and ending on 16th November 2020. The voting page will display relevant information about the initiatives and provide links to media sources.
Although the popular vote will technically identify a series of "winners," our goal is not to create competition between different political practices, but rather to put a spotlight on diverse transformative practices and encourage their spread internationally.
The winning initiatives from the 4 different categories will obtain access to training and capacity building courses for political organising and advocacy. The estimated value is 1500 euros for each winner.
The 4 winners will be presented in a live-streamed event in the first week of December. Stay tuned for more information.
Eau de Paris delivers cleaner, cheaper water
What's unique about the initiative?
For a decade, Eau de Paris (EDP) has been improving Paris' municipal water supply – a public service that used to be private, fragmented and expensive. Supported by strong political will, the city of Paris has made water management a major democratic issue, ensuring better managed, high-quality and more affordable water supplies, backed by a strong environmental strategy addressing the water sector's economic, civic, social and environmental responsibilities.
Agua Para Todos tackles water privatization and the impact of climate change
Petorca, Chile
The triple challenges of water privatization, expanding agribusiness and the impact of climate change have caused a water crisis in the Chilean province of Petorca, where over 6000 people – mostly women and older people – live with a precarious water supply. Water for All is a rural union of community water providers (ARPs), generating sustainable solutions to the water crisis, strengthening community mobilization, using socially appropriate technology to conserve and reclaim water, and providing environmental education.
Observatorio del Agua de Terrassa ensures a democratic governance of water
Terrassa, Spain
Since 1842 the water supply in Terrassa – one of the largest cities in Catalonia – had been managed by a private company. The clear need for a modern service with water as a common good resulted in the creation of the Terrassa Water Observatory (OAT) and the subsequent transformation in the city's relationship with water.
PENGON empowers Palestinian women as sustainable energy leaders
Gaza, Palestine
Energy scarcity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip impacts women in different ways to men, yet women are very rarely consulted on energy solutions. PENGON's 'Empowering Women as Sustainable Energy Leaders' initiative is bringing local women together to transform the energy system in Palestine, putting solar energy in their hands and empowering them to be active in decision-making in the clean energy sector, and to lead change in their communities.
EnergÉtica Cooperative challenges energy poverty by supplying clean energy
Valladolid's EnergÉtica Cooperative grew as a response to the 2008 financial crisis when, in protest at energy poverty and the failure of central government to plan for a clean energy transition, local citizens demanded sustainable energy solutions. Today, EnergÉtica Cooperative has signed agreements with 10 regional municipalities and supplies energy to each of them.
The municipality of Burgas pioneers energy efficient housing in Bulgaria
Burgas, Bulgaria
Fifteen years ago the Bulgarian town of Burgas was highly energy inefficient, leading to very high energy costs for local authorities and citizens, as well as poor living conditions and environmental inequality. Today it is a different story. Burgas is a smart, energy efficient city implementing the most up-to-date energy approaches and measures, and demonstrating the power of local authorities to drive sustainable change.
Category: Housing
Citizen's Initiative Referendum against forced demolitions of social housing
Grenoble, France
In 2019, over 500 residents in a social housing development in Grenoble, France held a citizens' referendum to protest against the planned demolition of their homes. While the result of the referendum was not accepted by the city mayor, the campaign drew significant public attention to the issue of social housing demolitions and the lack of democracy in urban planning. It has also highlighted how referenda can be used to collectively press for social housing to be rehabilitated rather than destroyed and rebuilt elsewhere, at greater environmental and social cost.
The Cloughjordan Ecovillage models the transition to a low-carbon society
Cloughjordan, Ireland
The Cloughjordan Ecovillage models the transition to a low-carbon society and shares its learning through various educational activities. With 55 low-carbon homes, a carbon-neutral district heating system, a community farm, green enterprise centre, a planned reed-bed treatment plant and Ireland's lowest ecological footprint, the ecovillage is demonstrating different ways to achieve ecological, economic and social sustainability.
CaSanAT is a micro-utopia serving as a space for exchange, learning and resistance
Porto Alegre, Brazil
CaSanAT (an abbreviation of 'house' and 'nature' in Portuguese) in Porto Alegre, Brazil, is a space for social activists and volunteers to come together for community discussions and action on socio-environmental issues. As such, it is fighting hunger, the pandemic and repression by the Bolsonaro government. Today, as a space for social organization and education in thinking about city, it is working to strengthen communities and act as a hub for the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Jackson Just Transition Plan is transforming Jackson into a city of equity, solidarity and mutual aid
The Jackson Just Transition Plan aims to transform Jackson, Mississippi, into an ecologically and economically regenerative city, rooted in equity, solidarity and mutual aid, where everyone's fundamental human rights are fulfilled. Through creating people's assemblies, developing an independent electoral force, and building the social and solidarity economy, the initiative successfully supported the election of progressive Mayors in 2013 and 2017.
Maison d'Éducation à l'Alimentation Durable supplies the community with organic food and educates future generations
Mouans-Sartoux, France
Maison d'Éducation à l'Alimentation Durable (MEAD, the Education and Sustainable Food Centre) is an holistic municipal initiative in Mouans-Sartoux, France, that is enabling the town to transition to consuming organic and sustainably produced food. Since its launch, MEAD has prioritised the health of its children, families, the elderly, local companies, students, researchers and public authorities, and the needs of sustainable agriculture, through food policy.
Penca de Sábila Corporation improves the lives of rural farmers and connects them with urban communities
Penca de Sábila Corporation is successfully helping 12,000 small-scale farming families in rural Medellín to convert to agroecological (organic) farming, and to sell their surplus directly through a cooperative store. The economic benefits are shared annually in assemblies in which all smallholder families participate. The corporation is also putting rural farmers' needs on the state's agenda, and is calling for more support for them against the backdrop of COVID-19.
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