Sion takes home heritage prize
Sion, the capital of canton Valais, has won the 2013 Wakker urban planning prize. The annual award, which comes with SFr20,000 ($21,500) in prize money, recognised the town for using native architectural concepts in its building projects.
Specifically, the city, which is home to 31,000 people, was lauded for preserving its strong modernist architectural heritage when planning new public spaces and revitalising its historic downtown area.
The Wakker prize has been awarded annually since 1972 by the Swiss Heritage Society. It recognises communities that demonstrate special care and effort in undertaking urban planning projects. Last year’s recipient was suburb of Köniz in the capital Bern.
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