Amersfoort is European City of the Year

AIS is proud to call Amersfoort home!

Amersfoort has been named European City of the Year 2023 by the Academy of Urbanism. 

The jury praised Amersfoort for its quality of life, progressive planning and innovation while preserving its unique heritage and character. "The well-being and happiness of all its citizens are clearly central," the jury said. 

The jury members of the Academy of Urbanism visited Amersfoort in September. They toured the historic city centre, Kattenbroek, the Wagenwerkplaats and Vathorst by bicycle. The members assessed the city on urban planning qualities, among other things, and also looked at social cohesion, sustainability and how the city is governed. 

A note from the mayor

Mayor Lucas Bolsius: "It takes generations of work to build a city. Amersfoort has grown enormously in 50 years, modernized, but the history and the people have always remained emphatically central. As far as I'm concerned, the recognition in this award goes to all those Amersfoorters who work together day in and day out to make our city so special. From the smallest initiative to the farthest plans for the future, the people of Amersfoort are always involved and active in their environment."

Previous winners

Amersfoort joins a row of European cities that appeal to the imagination. Previous winners include Berlin, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Bilbao, Antwerp and Edinburgh. After Rotterdam in 2015, Amersfoort is the second Dutch city to win the Urbanism Award for European City of the Year.