City of Banja Luka – prizes and awards
European City of Sport
On December 6 2017 Banja Luka was awarded the title „The European City of Sport 2018“ as one of 23 European cities that was awarded this renowned title, which popularizes practicing sports.
Banja Luka is the only city from Bosnia and Herzegovina that has won this title. At the same time, it is the only city from a non-EU country that has won it in 2018. This renowned title is awarded by the Federation of European Capitals and Cities (ACES) and the award was presented to the Mayor of Banja Luka, Igor Radojicic, at an official ceremony, which took place in the European Parliament in Brussels on December 6, 2017.
The City of Banja Luka will put its best efforts into making the best use of the title while implementing concrete activities at schools, and primarily, by popularizing practicing sports among school children.
One of the activities implemented by the City of Banja Luka as part of the “European City of Sport 2018” Project relates to the development of school sports activities. The project includes more than 10.000 children and, as of start of the 2018/2019 academic year, they will be given opportunity to practice sport of their choice under the mentorship of skilled teachers of physical education that earlier applied to participate in the program.
EBRD bronze award for environmentally friendly district heating
The City of Banja Luka was awarded a bronze by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the construction of a new, biomass-fuelled district heating plant as one of the best projects that this financial institutions financed during 2017.
This renowned award, for which many global projects, financed by EBRD, competed, was won at the 27th Annual EBRD Summit, which took place on May 9 and 10 2018 in Jordan. The bronze was awarded in the sustainable energy category for the construction and remediation of the district heating system in Banja Luka. After decades of issues that district heating sector faced in Banja Luka, in February 2018 the environmentally friendly district heating facility was put into operation. The new facility uses biomass, a renewable energy far more environmentally friendly than the formerly used heavy fuel oil.
The district heating plant was constructed as a joint venture project of the City of Banja Luka and the IEE Company. The City`s ownership share was financed from the EBRD`s loan.
European award for urban mobility
The City of Banja Luka is the winner of a renowned European award for urban mobility enhancement. This was decided by a jury of experts from CIVITAS, a respectable association of European cities.
This award is presented to one European city that considerably transforms and improves the sustainable urban transport sector within the timespan of a year.
Banja Luka, as the only CIVITAS network member from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is recognized as a city that, in a very short span of time, managed to implement a whole range of various measures in order to promote urban mobility. This shows that it is strongly determined to follow sustainable development principles, protect the environment and enhance the quality of urban living.
The first prize in the category „Researches, studies and projects from the sectors of natural protection, landscape and environmental protection, and landscape architecture“
The jury of the 27th International Urban Planners Exhibition of the Association of Urban Planners of Serbia awarded the Center for Sustainability and Integrative Design of the University of Banja Luka Faculty for Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Natural Heritage Protection Society ARBOR MANGA with the first prize in the category „Researches, studies and projects from the sectors of natural protection, landscape and environmental protection, and landscape architecture“. The award was granted for the paper „Elaboration on the development of arboretum in the park forest Trapisti in Banja Luka“.
The award in the category „The enhancement of the status of older persons“
The UN Population Fund – UNFPA awarded the City of Banja Luka for the new program of healthy ageing for older citizens. The award was granted in the category „The enhancement of the status of older persons“. The city recognized the needs of older persons and provided premises for daily centers where they can come to get together, read newspapers, play a game of chess and do embroidery. In this way they live their third age in a more qualitative manner and the City, at the same time, has a chance to show care and respect to people who used to build our city and make it as it is today.
