Cittaslow criteria

To be accredited with Cittaslow status, a town must assess itself in relation to a comprehensive set of criteria.

No town is expected to meet all the criteria immediately, but each must demonstrate how it intends to address any of the goals that it does not meet initially.

The criteria are laid out under six headings: Environment; Infrastructure; Urban Fabric; Local Produce and Products; Community and Hospitality; Communicating Awareness of Cittaslow.

Environment Policies
  • Measure and reduce air, light and noise pollution
  • Measure and protect water quality
  • Encourage home composting of waste
  • Encourage the use of alternative sources of energy
  • Plans for the elimination of aesthetically displeasing advertisements
  • Application of an Environmental management System
  • Participation in ‘Local Agenda 21’ projects

Infrastructure Policies

  • Have integrated traffic management, access strategies and infrastructure that recognise the needs of pedestrians and facilitate alternative mobility
  • Ensure public places and buildings are accessible to all
  • Maintain well-kept green spaces
  • Provide easily accessible public toilets and places for people to sit and rest
  • Uniform opening hours for the different departments of council offices
  • Plan for business hours to coincide with townspeople’s needs

Enhancing the Quality of the Urban Fabric

  • Conserve, maintain and enhance historic areas, buildings and artefacts of cultural and local significance and their sympathetic re-use
  • Have plans to abolish faulty theft alarms, combined with measures for the protection of property and the safety of the community
  • Plan the use of sympathetically designed litter bins and effective litter and waste management
  • Have policies that create user-friendly historic town centres
  • Promote eco-friendly architecture
  • Have plans to plant environment-enhancing plants in public places and private gardens
  • Promote appreciation of historic centres and to make them user-friendly through the production of a Town Plan, Conservation Area Appraisal, Town Design Statement or similar plan
  • Encourage use of reusable or recyclable crockery and cutlery in public establishments
  • Encourage the use of interactive websites where the public can communicate with the local administrators of the town
    Celebrating & Promoting Local Produce and Local Products
  • Create and maintain an up-to-date register of locally produced goods and producers within the natural hinterland of the town
  • Increase awareness of good food and nutrition
  • Raise awareness of and implement measures for the protection of traditional local produce and local products
  • Encourage and provide space for regular farmers markets
  • Promote and encourage organic farming and quality certification for products
  • Plan educational programmes about organic food production

Celebrating & Promoting Local Produce & Local Products

  • Create and maintain an up-to-date register of locally produced goods and producers within the natural hinterland of the town
  • Increase awareness of good food and nutrition
  • Raise awareness of and implement measures for the protection of traditional local produce and local products
  • Encourage and provide space for regular farmers markets
  • Promote and encourage organic farming and quality certification for products
  • Plan educational programmes about organic food production

Community & Hospitality

  • Develop a local Slow Food Convivium
  • Provide training for people providing services to tourists
  • Establish well-marked tourist routes and trails with supporting information
  • Promote a wide cross section of social events, sports clubs and volunteering opportunities for the whole community
  • Promote special local events to encourage development and support facilities to make it easy for people to come and enjoy them
  • Promote any initiatives of a Cittaslow nature

Communicating Awareness & Understanding of Cittaslow

  • Establish a directory of local organisations supporting the principles of Cittaslow
  • Use the Cittaslow logo on council/partnership documents, letterheads, etc.
  • Promote the Cittaslow Movement’s aims and practices
  • Develop leaflets and websites that show how Cittaslow themes are applied
  • Establish lines of communication to local and national press and media
  • Promote healthy living to all age groups and all sections of the community
  • Encourage local schools, hospitals and community centres to use local produce
  • Promote initiatives to involve opinion leaders and local firms in helping to achieve compliance with Cittaslow criteria