How can we create inclusive, equitable and dignified public spaces that are adaptable and responsive to the local environment? World Urban Parks seeks to identify innovative and creative proposals to this question through the Parkitecture international design contest, inviting visionary architects, landscape designers, and urban planners to reimagine urban parks for a sustainable future.
World Urban Parks, a global organization committed to promoting the value of parks and green spaces, recently launched Parkitecture to address contemporary urban challenges. The contest seeks innovative design concepts that blend cutting-edge architectural solutions with nature, creating urban parks that respond to the needs of communities while fostering environmental stewardship.
Parkitecture (listen to a Parkitecture podcast here) challenges participants to think beyond traditional park designs and embrace the principles of sustainability, accessibility, and inclusivity. The competition aims to revolutionize the way urban parks interact with their surrounding environments, encouraging creative solutions to restore ecological balance and enhance the quality of life for city dwellers of emerging cities.
Culiacán, México is at the forefront of this contest. This emerging city with a warm tropical climate, a diverse population, and over 500 local parks seeks to reinvigorate its public spaces to increase peace and quality of life for its citizens, while actively reducing crime, a significant issue in the city. Local partners Parques Alegres, Yobelo and The National Association for Parks and Recreation – Mexico created an extensive analysis of Culiacán parks and open spaces with an emphasis on ‘healthy green’ quality levels and the voices of park users in Culiacán.
Participants are encouraged to consider these findings to create conceptual design proposals for one or more parks in Culiacán, considering the emerging urban context and addressing common global challenges through imaginative, visionary and viable design projects that benefit the Culiacán community. Proposals will be evaluated for their innovation, feasibility, and presentation by a professional judging committee, and the Culiacán community will emit People’s Choice Votes to promote solutions suited to their local needs.
The participants of the Parkitecture International Design Contest are invited to create an Open Design Proposal for one or more parks in Culiacán. Submissions are open to participants from around the world and can be delivered individually or in teams of two or three people and will be divided into Professional and Student categories.
Professional category winners will be awarded up to $50,000 USD cash prize, and Student category winners will receive up to $2,000 USD cash prize.
The deadline for submissions is October 10, 2023; winners will be announced on November 21, 2023.
For more information, visit the official competition site. Join World Urban Parks here.