©AIPH
Paris has been named Grand Winner of the AIPH World Green City Awards 2026 for its “Retrofitting Paris into a biodiversity friendly city” initiative.
The winners were announced by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), a partner of the Urban Sustainability Exchange, on 15 September during the 78th AIPH Annual Congress in Bari, Italy. Twenty-one finalist cities were considered across the 2026 awards.
Paris received the top award for embedding biodiversity into city planning at scale. Its 2024 Bioclimatic Local Urban Master Plan and Biodiversity Strategy connect urban greening with building renovation, heat adaptation, stormwater management and habitat restoration.
The city has already reached its target of 150 hectares of vegetated roofs, walls and courtyards ahead of schedule. It plans to create a further 300 hectares of public green space by 2040. Paris is also using tools such as BiodivScore to guide developers and is targeting the renovation of 5,000 social housing units each year, with biodiversity integrated into the process.
The wider field reflected the range of ways cities are using nature to address urban challenges. Among the other finalists receiving category awards were Ahmedabad’s Mission Million Trees, Fortaleza’s nature-based early childhood infrastructure, Sheffield’s climate-resilient urban design model, Surrey’s Green Infrastructure Network and Mexico City’s Programa Altépetl.
USE congratulates Paris, AIPH and all of the 2026 finalists. The awards provide a valuable collection of practical examples for cities working on climate resilience, biodiversity and greener urban development.
Read the full AIPH announcement and explore the 2026 winners: https://aiph.org/latest-news/paris-france-named-grand-winner-of-the-aiph-world-green-city-awards-2026/
© Ville de Paris