The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area has been awarded the 2008 ISOCARP Award for Excellence. The jury was particularly impressed with the cooperation and transparent process which led to the formation of this collaboration of 27 local authorities and 2 provinces. The jury was also very positive about the body's long-term vision for guaranteeing sustainability.

The 2008 ISOCARP Award for Excellence is a prize recognised by colleagues all over the world and means international recognition for the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. Amsterdam Alderman Maarten van Poelgeest was very excited about this international recognition. "This prize is a great opportunity and, in my view, we deserve it completely, because the formation of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area makes administrative collaboration unshakable." Delegate Ton Hooijmaijers of North Holland agreed with him wholeheartedly: "The formation of the metropolitan area is crucial for realising our ambitions and to grow into a strong, internationally competitive metropolitan area where it is pleasant to live and work."

ISOCARP was founded in 1965. It is an international trade union of town planning experts and urbanologists. On 8 November the official prize-giving ceremony will take place in Sitges (Spain). ISOCARP will hold its 44th conference from 19 to 23 September in Dalian (China). Some exhibition panels have been made up for this event.