The ISOCARP Award for Excellence (AfE) rewards plans in design phase as well as projects in progress or already implemented and is open to a wide range of professionals and institutions operating in the domain of urban and regional planning. Participants are invited to submit different tools used in planners’ daily practice like: normative plans, strategic plans, urban plans, urban design projects, urban policies, research works, and software/smart tools facilitating planners. This prestigious award is bestowed in two categories: Grand Award and Merit Award.

China Academy of Urban Planning & Design, 2024 Grand Award for Excellence Winner

1. LotURA: Punta Zorroza District Redevelopment Master Plan, Bilbao (Spain) by IDOM Consulting, Engineering and Architecture.
2. Planning and lmplementation of Boao Near-Zero Carbon Demonstration by China Academy of Urban Planning & Design.
3. Accompanying Overall Design For Jin Hua City： Exploring Sustainable Urban Solutions Integrating Design, Management, And Implementation by China Eco-city Academy.
4. Urban Renewal Planning and Implementation Demonstration of Chongyong Avenue in Beijing by China Academy of Urban Planning & Design.
5. Towards a Youth Development-oriented City：Planning the Spatial System for Youth Sports in Hangzhou Chengxi Sci-Tech Innovation Corridor by COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING, TONGJI UNIVERSITY, SHANGHAI TONGJI URBAN PLANNING & DESIGN INSTITUTE CO.,LTD, HANGZHOU CHENGXI SCI-TECH INNOVATION CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE.
6. THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE METROPOLITAN CITY OF FLORENCE: FROM CONCEPTION TO OPERATIONALITY by Valeria Lingua. (Italy)
7. Prioritizing Health And Publicizing Hot Springs: Urban Design for Nanjing Tangquan Town by Urban Architectural Lab (UAL), Architects & Engineers Co., Ltd. of Southeast University (AESEU).
8. Conservation and Utilization Plan of Historic Buildings and Historic Districts in Anren Township by China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute Corp. Ltd.
9. Multi-objective, Multi-Dimensional, and Multi-Scale Urban Design for the Organic Regeneration of Ancient City of Suzhou by Urban Planning & Design Institute Co.,Ltd of Southeast University.
10. Integration and Symbiosis of Historical Context and Feng Shui Places: Conservation and Implementation Planning of Archaeological Relic Park of King Chu’s Tomb of the Ming Dynasty in Hubei Province by Wuhan Natural Resources Conservation and Utilization Center (NRCU).
11. Planning of Eco-City in Plain Water Region for Low Carbon Development: Sustainable Development Planning and Practice of Sino-French Wuhan Ecological Demonstration City by Wuhan Natural Resources Conservation and Utilization Center (NRCU).
12. Integration and Symbiosis of Historical Context and Feng Shui Places: Conservation and Implementation Planning of Archaeological Relic Park of King Chu’s Tomb of the Ming Dynasty in Hubei Province by Wuhan Natural Resources Conservation and Utilization Center (NRCU).
13. Sustainable Tourism Development – Rehabilitating Twelve Historical sites by Sharqiyah Development Authority- Eastern Region (Saudi Arabia).
    Eastern Region
14. AL-KHOR Design Guidelines & Regulations by Abdulla Alghamdi. (Saudi Arabia).
15. Madinah Public Park by Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (Saudi Arabia).
16. P316 – HUMANIZATION OF WAHA & SALAHUDDIN DISTRICTS by Dar Al Omran Engineering Consultants (Saudi Arabia).
17. Climate-adaptive urban design for arid regions, urban design of Artux, Xinjiang, China by Jiangsu Institute of Urban Planning and Design (China).
18. Urban Planning Implementation Platform in Urban Renewal Act——Sanlin Riverfront Revival Project in Shanghai by East China Architectural Design & Research Institute Co.Ltd (China).
19. Jinan Ancient City Protection and Enhancement Plan by Jie Zhang and Jihao Lou (China).
20. Green Development Plan of Chen Lake Internationally Important Wetland：A Chinese Modern Wetland Programme for Harmonious Coexistence of Nature and Mankind by Wuhan Planning and Design Institute（WPDI) (China).
21. Urban Cooling Action Plan of Wuhan by Wuhan Planning and Design Institute（WPDI) (China).
22. A Sustainable and Resilient Design for Linear Park & Pathways in the Pedios River / Kanlıdere, Nicosia by SEBNEM HOSKARA (Cyprus).
23. The New Penajam City by Nusantara Urban Advisory (Indonesia).
24. The Dieng Plateau Aspiring National Geopark by Shirvano Consulting (Indonesia).
25. Nicosia Turkish Municipality Terminal Area – Urban Renewal, Improvement, and Design Project: A Strategic Approach to Urban Design by SEBNEM HOSKARA (Cyprus).

Jury

The jury was formed by experienced practitioners and academics: Dr. Pietro Elisei, Dr. Dara Golubovic Matic, Dr. Sabina Dimitriu, Dr. Li Fan and Prof. Ali A. Alraouf (Director of Awards and Publications).

China Academy of Urban Planning & Design- Urban Renewal Planning and Implementation Demonstration of Chongyong Avenue in Beijing

The Chongyong Avenue of Beijing, a historic street parallel to the Beijing Central Axis, runs from the south of the old city to the north. With history of more than 700 years, the avenue is home to many historic and cultural sites. Through in-depth researches on the historic and cultural values of the street, the project achieves the dual goals of improving the living environment and achieving cultural preservation and inheritance by preserving and restoring diverse architectural features, prioritizing slow-traffic streets, shaping cultural charms of landscapes, promoting continuous upgrading of business formates and environmental quality along Chongyong Avenue. It is an exploration of a new paradigm of revitalizing and transforming historic and cultural sub-districts in China.

China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute Corp. Ltd- Conservation and Utilization Plan of Historic Buildings and Historic Districts in Anren Township

On the basis of comprehensive and detailed research, the Conservation and Utilization Plan of Historic Buildings and Historic Districts in Anren Township collects and analyses data on the scale of streets and lanes, building volume, colors, texture and other elements, so as to quantitatively extract the characteristics of the historical pattern and spatial atmosphere of Anren.

By delineating the control area based on real visual perception, setting the control standards based on key data extracted from Anren, and establishing multi-party participation mechanism, the plan does a very good job of preseving Anren’s unique spatial characteristics and patterns. Meanwhile, it also provides a path that combines sense and sensibility for the protection of historical and cultural districts.

Valeria Lingua- THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE METROPOLITAN CITY OF FLORENCE: FROM CONCEPTION TO OPERATIONALITY

With the 2030 Strategic Plan, the Metropolitan City of Florence proposes a journey of change to improve the quality of life of all the inhabitants in the metropolitan area: a “Metropolitan Renaissance”.
The construction of the Metropolitan Strategic Plan has been a governance and participatory laboratory for defining a shared unitary vision of territorial development pathways, a selective place for the emergence of large-area policies and local planning, characterised by a strong operational imprint given by the application of Regional Design, an innovative approach to strategic planning. The visions for Florence’s metropolitan area have been conceived by defining the image of the metropolitan city, both today and in the near future (2030), through maps and methaporical devices able to express the raison d’être of the Metropolitan City of Florence, its identity and rithms and its strategic navigation map, made operational by targeted projects.

Urban Planning & Design Institute Co.,Ltd of Southeast University- Multi-objective, Multi-Dimensional, and Multi-Scale Urban Design for the Organic Regeneration of Ancient City of Suzhou

Facing the problems of conservation and regeneration of a World Heritage City, Suzhou ancient city, based on the understanding of a historical city as a special type of heritage with multi-dimensional value, complex system, dynamic characteristics, and living attributes, the Southeast University team has established a value-oriented, sustainable development concept for the protection and regeneration of historical urban areas, proposed a multi-objective, multi-dimensional, and multi-scale conservation and regeneration system under the premise of preserving the authenticity and integrity of the overall historical environment. Core strategies include enhancing the overall protection of the ancient city’s layout, optimizing the comprehensive capacity regulation, adopting small-scale gradual organic regeneration, leveraging the intrinsic power of public participation, and improving the conservation implementation guarantee system. Through scientific and meticulous urban design, the team explored sustainable protection and regeneration approaches for the ancient city of Suzhou, aiming to enhance the spatial environment quality and social economic vitality.

Congratulations to the winners and a big thank you to all our ISOCARP Members who submitted an entry.

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