Professor Pierre Bélanger has received a Special Mention for a proposal submitted in the Venice Lagoon Competition. The venue was organized by 2G in collaboration with Santa & Cole, Città di Venezia, and Parco della Laguna di Venezia. The prize was awarded for an international design competition that aimed at the reconsideration of the contemporary city through a project which reclaims the landscape of the Venice Lagoon and confronts the tension existing between global interests and local needs, in which tourism - understood as the most important economic, social and territorial phenomenon of the second half of the 20th century - might live in harmony with the cohesive, social needs of the citizen. The competition drew 489 entries from around the world that were reviewed by an international jury that included Iñaki Ábalos, Francesco Careri, James Corner, Anne Lacaton, Phillippe Rahm, and the 2G Editorial Board.

Professor Bélanger’s design team included Behnaz Assadi (MLA '08), Ed Zec (MArch '07) and Hoda Matar (MLA '07). The team’s entry was the only finalist from North America to be recognized by the competition jury. For more information and exhibition of project finalists: http://www.2gcompetition.com/