The PFR Korczak Housing Estate in Katowice, Żerański Park in Warsaw, the GZM Metropolitan Cycling Network – Velostrady, and the “Thirsty for the City” project by the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre and Jacek Dominiczak are the winners of this year’s Urban Innovator competition. The jury recognized projects and initiatives demonstrating that urban innovation does not have to mean new technologies alone. The winners include solutions focused on urban space design, sustainable mobility, climate change adaptation, and encouraging resident participation and strengthening social bonds.

The winners of the second edition of Urban Innovator were announced during the New Mobility Congress in Katowice. Urban Innovator recognizes projects, initiatives and individuals shaping the future of Polish cities. It celebrates undertakings that treat the city as a shared asset: responding to residents’ everyday needs, creating accessible spaces, strengthening social bonds, and combining an improved quality of life with care for the climate and the environment. An important goal of the competition is to promote good practices that can inspire future projects. This year, the jury presented awards and commendations in four categories: New Urban Planning, Shared Spaces, Healthy Cities, and Initiatives. “Urban Innovator is a celebration of good ideas and the people transforming our cities. We recognize projects that address residents’ everyday needs and improve their quality of life. We want to bring these initiatives into the spotlight so that successful solutions can inspire further projects and benefit an ever-growing number of people,” says Agata Wiśniewska-Mazur, Vice-President of the Polish New Mobility Association and a member of the Urban Innovator jury.  

  Four Categories, Four Perspectives on Urban Life In the New Urban Planning category, the winner was the PFR Korczaka Housing Estate in Katowice. Commendations went to Central Park in Gdynia and Fuzja in Łódź. The awarded projects showcase different approaches to contemporary urban development, from creating new places to live to transforming and repurposing sites within the urban fabric. In the Shared Spaces category, the award went to Żerański Park in Warsaw. Commendations were presented to Miasto Ogrody – Sopot’s woonerf streets and the Community Gardens in Lublin. These projects highlight the importance of spaces that encourage people to meet, promote resident participation and help build strong local communities. The winner in the Healthy Cities category was the GZM Metropolitan Cycling Network – Velostrady. The jury also recognized Bydgoszcz Sponge City and the Berdychowska Footbridges in Poznań. These projects combine a focus on residents’ physical activity and safety with improvements to everyday comfort and urban resilience to climate change. A new addition this year was the Initiatives category, recognizing undertakings of particular importance to urban development that extend beyond the scope of the existing categories. It also highlights the role of education, public debate and civic engagement in changing how we think about cities. The winning project was “Thirsty for the City,” created by the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre and Jacek Dominiczak. Commendations went to the Integrated Railway Network – Port Polska / PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe, and Rowerowe Gliwice, an educational and outreach initiative promoting cycling culture. The Urban Innovator 2026 People’s Choice Award went to the PFR Korczaka Housing Estate in Katowice. The project received 17,252 of the 18,110 votes cast in the public poll, accounting for 95.3% of all votes.  

  Innovation Is About More Than Technology The winning projects can serve as benchmarks for other local governments, institutions and organizations seeking solutions to the challenges facing modern cities. “Urban Innovator is still a young award, but we are pleased to see it grow and to see how accurately it identifies projects that set new standards. This year’s edition is the best proof of that. A new addition is the ‘Initiatives’ category, won by a series of outstanding lectures by Professor Jacek Dominiczak at the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre. This unprecedented event on a national scale will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on how we think about urban space—not only in the Tri-City area, but throughout Poland. “In the ‘Urban Planning’ category, the award went to the housing estate on Korczaka Street in Katowice, developed by PFR Nieruchomości. The project demonstrates that public-sector entities can drive the creation of high-quality spaces and deliver meaningful responses to housing needs while maintaining a sound business case. In the ‘Shared Spaces’ category, the award went to the Toposcape and Archigrest studios, working together with the Warsaw Greenery Authority. They have created a valuable public space in Białołęka, by the Żerański Canal, drawing on the concept of ‘fourth nature’ in a mature and thoughtful way while offering residents excellent opportunities for recreation,” comments Filip Springer, an author of books on space and architecture, reporter and photographer, curator of the New Architecture & Construction thematic track at the New Mobility Congress, and a member of the Urban Innovator jury. “This year’s winners show that change can begin with a major infrastructure investment, a well-designed public space or an initiative that transforms the way residents use their city,” adds Agata Wiśniewska-Mazur.   Urban Innovator 2026 – Winners and Commendations   NEW URBAN PLANNING Winner: PFR Korczaka Housing Estate – Katowice Commendations: Central Park – Gdynia; Fuzja – Łódź SHARED SPACES Winner: Żerański Park – Warsaw Commendations: Miasto Ogrody – woonerf streets in Sopot; Community Gardens – Lublin HEALTHY CITIES Winner: GZM Metropolitan Cycling Network – Velostrady Commendations: Sponge City – Bydgoszcz; Berdychowska Footbridges – Poznań INITIATIVES Winner: Thirsty for the City – Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre and Jacek Dominiczak Commendations: Integrated Railway Network – Port Polska / PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe; Rowerowe Gliwice – educational and outreach activities promoting cycling culture PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD Winner: PFR Korczaka Housing Estate – Katowice