Sustainability and Urbanism: Jury Report

摘要

What should 21st century architecture do? The world's population will rise to 9.3 billion by 2050. Most of them, if we can believe the prognoses, will live in big cities. Some will live in mega cities with up to 100 million inhabitants. At the same time, cities are responsible for 80% of carbon dioxide emissions. In the future, we will require an urban building culture that allows for incredibly dense living. Tokyo, Shanghai or New York are well-functioning contemporary examples. However, current events illustrate how vulnerable mega cities are. Do we require a new mode of thinking in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and the social distancing that ensued? These are the questions posed to the seventy-eight participants in this competition. I selected works, which address the important social issues arising from the crisis, and had a remarkable approach to providing answers and solutions. After the first review, I shortlisted twelve projects, which deal mainly with three concepts: Future Housing, Future urbanism and Utopia/ Science Fiction. Multiple entries displayed the integration of design elements that actively contribute to sustainability or social return. As all selected winners had an individual approach and a different answer to the questions, I chose to award five projects equally and without additional ranking.