Competition Name: 2016 Better Philadelphia Challenge: Designing Healthy Neighborhoods
Link: http://www.EdBacon.org
Registration: 2015-10-01
Submission: 2015-10-23
Details: Type: International, Student, Professional
Eligibility: Students (undergraduate + graduate) + Professionals (+PhD candidates)
Fee: Students $25, professionals $50
Awards: Two 1st Prizes $5,000 each
Strongly encouraged: teams that include individuals from diverse fields, such as architecture, urban planning, design (industrial, graphic), landscape architecture, public health, economic development, real estate law, etc.
Description
The Mantua/Belmont section of Philadelphia was chosen as one of President Obama’s first “Promise Zones” for economic development – one of only five in the country. This neighborhood is bordered by some of Philadelphia’s largest institutions (the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, the Philadelphia Zoo, and Fairmount Park), as well as by large industrial sites (most notably the AMTRAK rail yards).
As part of this neighborhood’s development, what physical design interventions could encourage healthy and active lifestyles, thereby improving public health among residents?
Founded in 2006 in memory of Philadelphia’s iconic 20th century city planner, Ed Bacon [1910-2005], this annual competition challenges university-level students (undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students) from around the world to address real-world urban design issues in Philadelphia that have application not only to our city, but to urban centers around the globe. This challenge is organized by the Ed Bacon Memorial Committee at the Philadelphia Center for Architecture. NEW for 2016 – the competition will be open to professionals (design or other), too!
As you begin thinking about this challenge, be sure to consider:
Health + Activity
What types of health and activity concerns will your proposal address: obesity, mental health, violence, food access, asthma, a combination of these or other issues? Consider how we could measure the success of your proposal. What could be quantified and how? Are there non-quantifiable benefits that could somehow be captured? By what mechanisms?
The Grand Vision
How will you address the overall design of the full competition site? What design philosophies will guide your proposal? Which residents will your plan affect – young, old, parents, students, unemployed, retired? Show us your Master Plan and the timed phasing of how you would implement your proposal!
The Small Scale
How will your plan will impact residents in their daily lives? Show us a detail of your plan – perhaps one or two blocks, a major intersection, or a section of the boundary between the neighborhood and its surroundings to explain the real-life impact of your plan on residents. Show us a day in the life of a few residents, both before and after your interventions!