The Student Award (SA) addresses a bachelor and/or master student or student group with outstanding results in a related field to urban and regional planning. As a form of ISOCARP’s recognition of the efforts by future planning professionals, the award is bestowed for final design projects, theses, studio projects, etc.

This year, due to the excellence of the entries, we bestowed the SA in two categories: Winner and Special Mention

Lyuzhi Ruan, Linbing Lyu and Yining Sun, 2024 Student Award Winners

In 2024, a total of 24 SA entries were submitted:

1. DIACHRONIC URBAN MORPHOLOGY: THE FORMATION PROCESS OF AIT BEN HADDOU, MOROCCO by Imane Saidi and Alessandro Camiz
2. Waipoua Catchment Design Project by Richard Green
3. An Outsiders Journey of the Lost and Found by Ananda Acharya
4. Hono by Michelle Ferreira
5. Aachen Water Conductor by Mebrure Ezgi Ismar, Liyuan Ma, Zhiran Li and Jinyu Zhu
6. Extractivism to Circularism: An exploration of the Critical Raw Materials Act in the Netherlands by Preksha Rautela
7. Overtourism in Bali: Community Perceptions and Stakeholder Strategies by Irsyad Rafi Madjid
8. Nexus Tuzla: A Strategic Approach for Spatial, Environmental, Economic, and Social Transformation of Tuzla by Abdulla Kikati
9. Superbowl by James Samuel, Anna Palit, Maria Christina Widarti, Karen Gianna Hikaru, David Laurentz Halomoan, Amanda Yusticia Septavian Syach, Alif Nur Ramandha, Christophorus Keane Nathaniel, Sagista Salma Dien Darmawan and Kalyani Divankara Putri
10. TOURISM: BALANCING [NEW] ATTRACTIVENESS AND COEXISTENCE. Addressing overtourism through co-planning and gamification in complex decision-making contexts by Alessandro Maisano and Alessandra Medaglia
11. HEAR THE CAMPUS ——Sustainable campus soundscape design based on GIS multi-criteria evaluation by Lyuzhi Ruan, Linbing Lyu and Yining Sun
12. Blok M : The Metro-Pulse of Jakarta by Nabil Rizki Mulya Widodo, Salsabila Purnomo Ajie, Novita Ratnasari, Muhammad Ganendra Wijaksana, Lyna Zahida Mumtaz, Tina Stephanie and Annisa Diah Astarini
13. The Disaster of the Century: Natural Disasters, Revitalization of Life and Community Resiliency (2023 Turkey Earthquake Experience) by Reza Farhadi, Maryam Noroozi, Amir Rahsaz, Mahshid Delavar, Hengameh Ghasemi and Majid Aghazadeh
14. Walking through the Past and Future: The PathWay of Design for Reviving Urban Heritage ——A Case Study on Wuhan City of Design, China by Ao Cui, Hanxun Fu, NingJing Gao, Yue Wang and Wenhao Dai
15. Addressing the tension between the global urbanization trend and local identity of a place : Rethinking the contemporariness of Howrah by SUKRITI PATRA
16. Prosperity Plus Fund: Mending Bao’an Towards a More Inclusive Future by Kelvin Gutmanis
17. Win-win Formula: Make Balance Between Development and Carbon Emission by YUEYUE WU, MEIRUI ZHU and XIONGXIAO
18. Water-Oriented Urbanism: Rethinking Water Resources as Unifying Elements Rather Than Barriers in the Case Study of Mersin by Talha Akay and Beyza Nur Işlak
19. (re) Made In Bangladesh by Shimanto Goswami and Sean Meyer
20. ByCircle by Luna Navarro, Marta Negrón and Carmen Alejandra Delange
21. Shiraz Design Charrette by Arsalan Makinian
22. NEW STORIES OF TRAIN STATIONS. KATOWICE-ZWARDOŃ -ŽILINA-RAJEC by Dominika Verešová
23. The Other Public Space: a historical reading of the place bellow the Paulo de Frontin Overpass, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by Bernardo Emmanuel
24. Dukuh Atas-Dynamics Transit, Urban Oasis by Elis Anggun Geminastiti, ⁠Ayubella Anggraini Leksono, Adelline Fibriana, R. Ng. Bintang Permana Aji, Nur Zastri Noviana, Arifatul Hasanah and Muhammad Faiz Naufal

Jury

The jury was formed by experienced practitioners and academics: Dr. Hope Magidimisha-Chipung, Dr. Guido Cimadomo and Prof. Ali A. Alraouf (A&P Program Director)

NEW STORIES OF TRAIN STATIONS. KATOWICE-ZWARDOŃ -ŽILINA-RAJEC, by Dominika Verešová

The diploma thesis deals with abandoned railway stations and their potential adaptation and development. It highlights the evolution of railway stations, the changes that have occurred with the emergence of new technologies or regime changes. It is also a polemic on the future of this type of architecture and related needs. The thesis highlights appropriate and inappropriate adaptations of train stations, while trying to develop its model solutions for different types of train stations. The work also includes a database of abandoned stations on the chosen railway line.

The diploma thesis is divided into three parts, the first is a description of the railways and train stations issues. The second part aims to identify possible solutions for disused railway buildings defined according to different criteria. The last part is a study of abandoned railway stations in the Polish-Slovak Euroregion. These stations are located on the only functioning railway line connecting Slovakia with Poland.

HEAR THE CAMPUS ——Sustainable campus soundscape design based on GIS multi-criteria evaluation, by Lyuzhi Ruan, Linbing Lyu and Yining Sun

This project explores the evaluation and design of campus soundscapes utilizing GIS multi-criteria evaluation.

The study, conducted in the context of RWTH Aachen University’s West Campus, integrates both objective and subjective assessments of the acoustic environment. The methodology involves a GIS-based multi-criteria evaluation, combining factors such as traffic, amenity, green space, and building height to create a comprehensive evaluation map. And study’s hypothesis is tested through a verification process involving physical measurements in counterintuitive designated points.

The soundscape design for the West Campus aims to maintain favorable sounds, mitigate adverse noise, adapt to existing sound conditions, and create new sound by introducing interventions and walkable traffic system that correspond to the soundscape component and influencing factors.

The design contributes valuable insights for the sound evaluation and sustainable development of campus, offering a multidimensional approach that combines GIS technology, multi-criteria evaluation, and subjective assessments.

Win-win Formula: Make Balance Between Development and Carbon Emission, by YUEYUE WU, MEIRUI ZHU and XIONGXIAO

The “Win-win Formula: Balancing Development and Carbon Emission” project addresses the pressing challenges of climate change in the Global South, where economic growth often conflicts with environmental sustainability. Our innovative framework integrates key variables such as population, carbon emissions, and GDP, focusing on four pillars: Livability, Transportability, Recyclability, and Sustainability. By applying this formula, we propose targeted strategies for low-carbon buildings, green transportation, efficient carbon sinks, and comprehensive waste management. Using New Clark City in the Philippines as a case study, we illustrate how collaboration among government, developers, the public, and landowners can promote economic growth while reducing carbon footprints. This holistic approach not only aims to rectify regional imbalances but also serves as a blueprint for sustainable urban development, demonstrating that economic and environmental goals can coexist harmoniously for a resilient future.

Aachen Water Conductor, by Mebrure Ezgi Ismar, Liyuan Ma, Zhiran Li and Jinyu Zhu

Urban areas face complex challenges that demand innovative resource management strategies. University campuses, such as RWTH Aachen University, play a pivotal role in enhancing climate resilience through research, education, and community engagement. The university’s integration with the city of Aachen makes environmental sustainability a shared responsibility, aligning its efforts with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Key challenges include managing water, mitigating heat islands, and addressing noise and air pollution. Aachen region’s frequent flooding, exacerbated by climate change, highlights the need for innovative water management.
The Aachen Water Conductor master plan reimagines the RWTH Aachen University campus with a focus on environmental and social sustainability. Using the concept of “Performative Water,” the project integrates water management into the campus’s cultural, infrastructural, and landscape elements. This approach aims to create a climate-resilient campus that serves as a social catalyst and civic asset, enriching its cultural identity.

The Other Public Space: a historical reading of the place bellow the Paulo de Frontin Overpass, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by Bernardo Emmanuel

This thesis retraces the historical evolution of the physical space, uses and representations of the public space under the Paulo de Frontin overpass in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before, during and after its installation. The negative discourses around these spaces, considered non-man’s lands, lost or dead, and the intense focus on their revitalization, end up overlooking the past and current life of those urban spaces. The study proposes a paradigm’s shift in urban planning: understanding degraded public spaces in cities as “other public spaces”. Inspired by Foucault’ and Lefebvre’s notions of “other spaces”, counter sites that contest and invert our ideal for the city, those other public spaces are very much alive, from where other lives, other social actors and other appropriations emerge throughout history. This standpoint may help us legitimizing the existence of actors usually overlooked by urban planners and consequently promoting more democratic urban regeneration projects.

Congratulations to the winners and a big thank you to all students who shared their work with us!

We look forward to successful SA submissions the next year, too.