Cork nominated for European City of the Year award

Cork has reached the top 10 in The Academy of Urbanism's selection of contenders for the European City of the Year Award for 2009, announced today.

The other categories in awards are: The Great Town, Neighbourhood, Street and Place of 2009.

The three finalists for each category will be announced at the nominations dinner to be held at the Cutlers’ Hall in Sheffield, England on the evening of May 15, to be followed by a process of visits and assessments during the summer months.

The ultimate winner will be announced at an awards ceremony to be held St George’s Hall in Liverpool, England on November 26.

The Academy of Urbanism looks for high quality public spaces, great architecture, effective civic government, vibrant local economies and strong community when making its decision.

To get this far, Cork was nominated by members of the public in an initial nationwide vote and survived the first cut by the Academy's voting panel.

"Everyone can recognise a great place, but it is harder to pinpoint what it is about our beautiful cities, towns, streets and places that makes us respond to them so positively," said chairman of the academy John Thompson.

"The Academy of Urbanism is developing ways of measuring what makes a great place great, so we can learn from them in the future. We think Cork is just such a great place."

The top 10 competitors for the title of The European City of the Year 2009 are: Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Cork, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle/Gateshead and Sheffield.