The city of Tallinn, capital of Estonia and one of the GoGreenRoutes Cultivating Cities, was announced as the winner of the European Green Capital 2023 Award, being recognised by the European Commission as one of the cities most committed to sustainability in the EU.

The current holder of the title is another of GoGreenRoutes' Cultivating Cities: Lahti, who won the 2021 award and is currently hosting its Green Capital Year. Grenoble won the title for 2022.

According to the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment, Tallinn "impressed the international Jury with their systemic approach to green governance and interlinked strategic goals, which reflect the ambitions of the European Green Deal. As one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tallinn is characterized by a diverse and mosaic nature of its landscapes and communities, which also serve as habitats for rare species."

As part of its activities in GoGreenRoutes, Tallinn is looking to enhance people's connection to nature in the district of Lasnamäe by creating outdoor recreational fields and an urban garden in an area known as Vormsi park. Nature-based solutions will be implemented in the park to improve social cohesion, prevent the deterioration of air quality in the downtown area and counterbalance the adverse health effects of air pollution such as asthma and the spread of infections.

Learn more about Tallinn's planned nature-based interventions in our new poster.