Designers from around the world submit 145 proposals for future cities

Calgary, AB – The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (SAPL) at the University of Calgary announced the winners of an international design ideas competition today at a virtual event. Titled CBDX: CITIES FOR ALL, the competition sparked an international discussion around equitable, inclusive cities.

Organized in teams of one to five, 405 people from around the world participated. The competition elicited 145 submissions from 108 cities representing 26 different countries. 

This past year has been challenging in many ways. Multi-pronged crises have laid siege to broken systems and have exacerbated inequalities that have always been present. This phenomenon was most visible with the thousands of demonstrations occurring around the world—particularly the Black Lives Matter Movement which, by some estimates, peaked at over four-thousand protests in over 60 countries. As John L. Brown, SAPL Dean, explains, “The climate crisis and social inequality have converged against the backdrop of a pandemic, prompting us to rethink the way cities are being designed, built and operated. It is an opportunity for architects, planners, landscape architects, and other creative practitioners and students to imagine how we can make our futures better for everyone. The ideas generated from this competition offer a glimpse into how a city for all might look, how it might operate, and how it might come into being.”

The competition call asked, “How might matters of equity and activism, ecology and environment, and health and wellness converge, and unfold, within our future cities?

The three winning entries—"2050 Lagos Amphibious City,” by Gi chul Choe (South Korea) and Joanne Li (China), “Brewing Flower Power: An Ice Teaporium Celebrating Women’s Rights,” submitted by Diana Guo (Canada), Tian Wei Li (Canada) and Joanne Li (China), and “Process not Product” from Mattie Wong (USA) — all addressed the competition prompt in innovative and refreshing ways.

As assistant professor, Alberto de Salvatierra, inaugural faculty lead and jury chair, describes, “Cities—which often ossify systemic inequities through the built environment — have become the fulcrum upon which movements for equity and justice have found increasing leverage. Solutions must come from, and be for, everyone. This competition provides a platform to highlight how architects and designers might address underrepresented and marginalized voices.”

Top entries — three winners, 15 honourable mentions and 26 finalists — will be exhibited at citiesforall.com and in downtown Calgary at SAPL’s City Building Design Lab and City Hall until the end of April. Entries will also be published in the inaugural annual volume later this year.

CBDX: CITIES FOR ALL is made possible through the support of Stantec, a global design and delivery firm.

The competition was organized, in part, by the Center for Civilization.

 

Brewing Flower Power: An Ice Teaporium Celebrating Women’s Rights, London, United Kingdom
Team: Diana Guo (Canada), Tian Wei Li (Canada), Joanne Li (China)

2050 LAGOS: Amphibious City, Lagos, Nigeria
Team: Gi chul Choe (South Korea), Joanne Li (China)

Process, not Product, Washington DC, USA
Team: Mattie Wong (USA)

Images

• High-resolution images of the winning entries:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/so33m1n2k2x4n14/AABPkJl7Hn8NKyhz5gLHP-dda?dl=0
• Images of recipients:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yxp7ibwdrbqn8ii/AACUMUPO1XVMfpYVTlqKKte1a?dl=0

Media contact
Vita Leung
Manager, Marketing and Communications
School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape
University of Calgary
1-403-220-5323 | vita.leung@ucalgary.ca

About CBDX
CBDX — City Building Design Experiments and Exhibitions — is an initiative by the University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. The goals of CBDX are to collectively tackle the big issues of tomorrow as a design community, initiate change and foster new ideas, and showcase innovation — the future of city building. CBDX explores two topics annually through an international design ideas competition, resulting in bi-annual exhibitions and an annual publication.

Follow on Instagram @cbdxseries

About the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape 
The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (SAPL) offers undergraduate and professional graduate studies in architecture, planning and landscape architecture, as well as research degrees and post-professional programs. SAPL School delivers a distinctly different design school experience that combines a rich, interdisciplinary design-based philosophy with an entrepreneurial mindset and a deep commitment to working with industry stakeholders, community leaders, at local, national, and international levels to address some of society’s biggest challenges in new, creative ways. SAPL recently opened a pilot satellite research hub in downtown Calgary called the City Building Design Lab.

Find out more at sapl.ucalgary.ca and follow @ucalgarysapl on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About the University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a global intellectual hub located in Canada’s most enterprising city. In our spirited, high-quality learning environment, students thrive in programs made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. Our strategy drives us to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, engaging the communities we both serve and lead. This strategy is called Eyes High, inspired by the university's Gaelic motto, which translates as 'I will lift up my eyes.' For more information, visit ucalgary.ca/eyeshigh.

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