The Academy of Urbanism is a not-for-profit organisation established in 2006 that brings together both the current and next generation of urban leaders, thinkers and practitioners to learn from place and disseminate best practice. The Awards programme is the Academy’s primary platform for recognising the best, most enduring or most improved urban environments around the UK and Europe. As well as providing a means to build relationships with places and communities that are doing good work, the Awards also help build a strong evidence base for high quality, innovative and sustainable urbanism.

At the at “The Journey of Place” event in Leeds on Wednesday 12 June 2024, the AoU announced the 2024 Urbanism Awards finalists in the categories of European City of the Year, Great Town or Small City, Great Neighbourhood, Great Street and Great Place. For the the Great Neighbourhood Award 2024, sponsored by JTP, Charles Campion announced that Beaulieu Chelmsford, Graylingwell Chichester and Port Loop Birmingham were the three finalists. Over the summer, the AoU will run in-person assessment visits to each place finalist, which will informs an Assessment Report written up by the category’s Lead Assessor. These reports will be shared with the membership to assist voting in the autumn, and winners will be announced at the Urbanism Awards Ceremony in London on Wednesday 13 November.
The Neighbourhood Award finalists 2024 are:
Beaulieu, Chelmsford
Beaulieu, a new neighbourhood, creates its own character with varied architecture and distinctly designed sites connected by parks and open space. The embedding of key neighbourhood amenities and community facilities – such as shops, allotments, and Essex’s first all-through primary / secondary school – at such an early stage in the development is a welcome change to trends often found in other new developments. Landscaping plays a big part in the neighbourhood’s character, with 176 acres of varied public open spaces which aim to enhance the lives and wellbeing of residents and wildlife alike.
Graylingwell, Chichester
Graylingwell is a new neighbourhood development, created on a former hospital site and managed by a Community Development Trust (CDT). Impressive environmental ambitions and standards were embedded at the outset in 2008, and despite setbacks in the recession and pandemic, the site is home to a diverse resident population, small businesses, and key community spaces. Graylingwell is one of a number of new neighbourhoods in the area, all managed by the CDT and well connected by active travel routes.
Port Loop, Birmingham
Port Loop demonstrates the revitalisation of an underused section of the historic canal, opening it up to create a neighbourhood that fosters a sustainable and healthy living environment. Just a 15-minute walk from Birmingham city centre, the mixed-use development aims to reduce the reliance on vehicles in the neighbourhood and promotes sustainable living. The developers have put in considerable effort to foster a sense of community in the neighbourhood and partnered with Civic Square to craft some of this social infrastructure.
For more information about the finalists in the other place categories please visit https://www.theaou.org/articles/2024-finalists