The Daniels Faculty — in collaboration with the Ontario Climate Consortium (which includes the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies) as well as Parallel 52 and the Centre for Urban Growth + Renewal — is pleased to announce a student design competition to be launched at the 2017 Ontario Climate Symposium May 11 & 12. Participants will have the chance to contribute new ideas to the sustainable transformation of Toronto’s neighbourhoods — and win a $1,000 cash prize. The registration deadline is April 28.

Part of ongoing design-research, teaching and knowledge mobilization among Canadian and Dutch academic institutions, as well as private and public sectors, the design competition invites students from the Toronto region, the Vancouver region, and Dutch Universities to develop speculative, inventive and visionary pathways to the transformation of existing urban districts into net-positive biophilic communities, in both human and environmental terms.

The tower neighbourhood north of Finch on Kipling Avenue — one of Toronto’s largest apartment tower neighbourhoods — is the site of the competition. Students form any discipline and level of experience are challenged to envision the transformation of this site into to a resilient and environmentally and socially sustainable community.

Associate Professor Liat Margolis says the competition will build on past and ongoing design-research initiatives at the Daniels Faculty and strengthen relations with municipal and regional programs dedicated to issues of resiliency, climate change mitigation and adaptation, green infrastructure, and the sustainable retrofitting of social and affordable housing.

“The Competition is intended to expose students to these important issues and at the same time provide the professional experts with out-of-the-box, imaginative ideas for further exploration,” says Margolis. “The cooperation with the Dutch government and academic institutions is also very exciting as it provides opportunities to exchange experiences around municipal climate policies and transitioning to low-carbon urbanism.”

For detailed information on the competition, titled “Towers on the Ravine, 1967-2067: Transitioning to Net-Positive Biophilic Urbanism, visit the Ontario Climate Consortium website.

Questions? Contact Liat Margolis at liat.margolis@daniels.utoronto.ca