Great success. «12 Steps to a City of People» receives prestigious ISOCARP 2023 GA Award in Toronto

sa_p founding partners Dunja Kovari-Binggeli and Thomas Kovari receive with great pleasure the ISCOARP Gerd Albers Award for «Book of the Year 2023», at the 59th ISOCARP World Planning Congress in Toronto.

The International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP), a non-governmental worldwide association of professional planners from more than 80 countries, has selected our publication "12 Steps to a City of People" as the winner of the "Book of the Year 2023" category.

The distinguished jury highlighted in particular the high level of consistency and precision of our publication, as well as its relevance as a source of inspiration for the development of better cities.

12 Steps to a City of People sapartners Dunja Kovari liveable city urban design living lab
A view from the world of the City of People

For us, addressing today's and tomorrow's challenges is a matter of course. To do this, we use our Spacelab. Designed as a think tank, it enables us to address current urban development issues and work on innovative solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.

12 steps to a City of People, described and illustrated in 46 pages

The publication focuses on the question: What makes a city liveable? And above all: how do you make a city liveable? In answering these questions and developing new approaches, we were able to draw on the support of established experts from across Switzerland. We all agreed that the 21st century is a time of change and upheaval, when the status quo needs to be challenged and the city rethought.

Firm believers in the City of People: Dunja Kovari with Maimounah Mohd Sharif, UN-Habitat Executive Director

"'12 Steps to a City of People' is a must-read for urban planners, policymakers, architects, and citizens interested in reshaping their cities to meet the needs of the people who call them home. It celebrates the idea that with the right strategies and collective efforts, cities can evolve into places where people thrive and enjoy a higher quality of life."

To ISOCARP's review



Download our digital publication, read it, share it, but above all, apply it!

To the project site

To our Booklet «12 Steps to a City of People»

To our Spacelab

Finally, in line with our encouragement to work collaboratively, interdisciplinarily and in networks, a big thank you to all the collaborators of 12 Steps to a City of People:

Beatrice Aebi, Head of Urban Planning City of Wil | Prof. Dr. Kay W. Axhausen, Head of Institute ETH Zurich | Simone Brander, City Council Zurich | Vicente Carabias, Head of Smart City, City of Winterthur | Martin Flügel, Director of the National Association of Swiss Cities | Simone Gianini, Vice Mayor of Bellinzona | Balz Halter, Owner and Chairman of the Board Halter AG | Prof. Gunnar Heipp, Institute Director IRAP Universities of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland | René Hutter, Cantonal Planner Zug | Damian Jerjen, Director EspaceSuisse | Dr. Daniel Kolb, Head of Spatial Development Department Canton Aargau | Dr. Norbert Kräuchi, Head of Landscape and Waters Department Canton Aargau | Prof. Dr. Daniel Kübler, Directing Member at the Centre for Democracy | Dr. Maria Lezzi, Director Federal Office for Spatial Development | Marco Mettler, Vice Director Pro Juventute Switzerland | Lukas Ott, Head of Cantonal and Urban Development Basel-Stadt | Simone Rangosch, Director Civil Engineering Office City of Zurich | Anna Schindler, Director Urban Development City of Zurich | Monika Suter, Canton Planner Bern | Ariane Widmer Pham, Canton Planner Genf | Sonja Wollkopf Walt, Managing Director Greater Zurich Area AG