City Building Through Design Competitions

The emergence of the ideas competition has offered new insights as an intensive and inventive platform to engage communities. Many organized competitions have led to profound change in urban planning/design theory. As well, they have been at the root of our most important and memorable spaces and places. The design competition is becoming an important tool in the city building toolkit. Its ability to gain input from a broader audience and attract greater public interest is due to its inclusive and often international appeal.

This session will examine projects in Canada, the United States and Australia that resulted from design competitions and their impacts on decision making. It will encourage debate on the challenges professionals face in actively participating in and facilitating competitions and in leveraging their findings to changing the way we work. Participants will learn about the benefits of undertaking an ideas competition and how this can be implemented as part of a local community building process.

 

• Examine projects in Canada, the United States and Australia that were a result of competitions, and how they have or can impact decision-making moving forward
• Encourage debate on the challenges our profession faces in actively participating and facilitating competitions as a tool, and leveraging their findings to changing the way we work moving forward.
• Learn about the benefits of undertaking an ideas competition and how this can be implemented as part of a local community building process.