Portland, October 27, 2017
Five extraordinary projects bestowed by ISOCARP during the Awards Ceremony in Portland, USA
The ISOCARP Awards for Excellence, rewarding urban and regional plans in the design phase as well as projects in progress or already implemented, were bestowed for the 11th time on 26 October 2017 during the annual ISOCARP conference held in Portland, USA. According to this year’s congress topic – Smart Communities – the awards were given to projects addressing various scales, as well as revolving around different tools used in planners’ daily practice: normative and strategic plans, urban projects, programmes, policies, research works, software, smart tools facilitating planners, etc.
In total 15 entries were evaluated by five experienced professional planners, who decided to award two projects (one on the regional, the other on the rural scale) as Grand Award Winners, as well as three projects (two on the urban scale, one on the regional scale) as Merit Award Winners. The winning entries as well as the excerpts from the jury evaluation are listed next.
2017 Grand Award for Excellence Winners:
The Caribbean and Santander’s Diamond of Colombia. Integration of physical and digital world as a development strategy, by Fundacion Metropoli, Spain
“It is a very innovative and pioneering plan, based on regional cooperation, which demonstrates an excellent concept of combining the physical and the digital world. Cutting edge and extremely relevant to the planning profession and to the 2017 ISOCARP conference theme.”
Guangzhou Beautiful Village & Characteristic Town Planning – Rural Living Environment Improvement & Innovative Development Practice in Metropolitan Area, by Guangzhou Land Resources and Planning Commission, and Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute, China
“It is an excellent project which deals with the hard core of recent metropolitan areas’ issues in China and elsewhere – how to improve the quality of life, the environmental conditions, the economy and actually the role the rural villages whiting the urban context, without losing their identity.”
2017 Merit Awards for Excellence Winners:
Teheran River Restoration and Improvement Plan, by Teheran Engineering and Technical Consulting Organization (TETCO), Iran
“Water resources is one of the most important and challenging issues faced by planners worldwide, and this plan demonstrates a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach, which combines urban, environmental, social and other aspects in a creative manner.”
Transforming the Segregated Apartheid City: Durban Inner City Spatial Vision and Regeneration Strategy, by eThekwini Municipality, South Africa
“The visionary and creative plan emphasizes the development of this large urban area as a walkable city, which is aimed to be vibrant and liveable, thus opening the opportunities for all.”
Local Identity-Oriented Strategic Development Planning of Jiangsu Province, by Jiangsu Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Urbanisation and Urban-Rural Planning Research Center of Jiangsu, Jiangsu Institute of Urban & Rural Planning and Design, and Urban & Rural Development Research Center of Jiangsu Province, China
“This cross-regional planning project for mainly rural and natural area, including an action plan, was prepared with extensive participation of diverse stakeholders and can be an eye-opening example for other regions.”
About ISOCARP
The International Society of City and Region Planners (ISOCARP) is a non-governmental organisation, with consultative status at UNESCO, recognised by the United Nations and the Council of Europe. It is a global professional association, founded in 1965 with the vision of reuniting the most recognised and experienced city and regional planners arounf the globe in a network that allows for extending their experiences and knowledge. It has members in more than 80 countries.
More information on the projects.