The Future of Cities: 44 New Design Proposals

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 Dr. John L. Brown, PhD, 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 CBDX 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 http://cbdxcitiesforall.com and in downtown Calgary at SAPL’s pilot research hub, the 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.