Brief
The architecture of social investment engages in social and green business strategies to shape the future of our cities. If major parts of our contemporary cities are self-built by their inhabitants, how can they be supported to do so in accordance with societal and ecological requirements? How can architecture and urban design support socially engaged business to foster sustainable urban development? How can a local project become a model for other communities?
The urbaninform Competition 2010 is calling for architecture and urban design projects, which engage in and cooperate with social entrepreneurship and green business. The project should be realized or developed to the level of being implemented.
Are you an architect, an urban designer, a social entrepreneur, a government official, a foundation or simply an individual or group engaging in the sustainable future of our cities?
Does your project empower individuals and communities to become economically independent?
Does your project understand architecture as business opportunity?
Does your project allow the community to generate or maintain services, infrastructure and education facilities?
If your project is a social investment, submit and win!
Background
More than half of the world’s population is living in cities. Most of those cities are growing informally, with little or no professional planning intervention. One third of this urban population – about one billion people – can be considered urban poor, living in sub-standard conditions. And their number is growing. The investment required for the prevention and upgrading of their precarious housing is estimated to reach over 300 billion US$ in the coming 20 years. No government will be able to finance this upgrading process.
The emergence of this urban growth phenomenon and alternative economies are intrinsically related. It is the urban population that is constructing the city, doing business, cooperating, socializing and organizing it! It is time to reevaluate these self-organizing powers and support new ways of urban governance.
Social and green businesses are new domains combining entrepreneurship with social and ecological values. They establish links between civic society and private industry. Social and green businesses are important players in good urban governance initiatives fostering the cooperation of government, civil society and private industry.
The competition is looking for design projects that reflect this new spirit of sustainable urban production. How can we shape new models for socially inclusive and ecologically sustainable urban economies? How can projects support ecological responsibility, economic independence and social emancipation?
Until now, few efforts have been undertaken in relating social business initiatives with the making of the territory they are taking place in: the city. In the future, architecture and urban design will play a crucial part in developing strategies and tactics along with sustainable business initiatives – for a better, socially just and ecologically sound urban environment.
Prices
With the support of Noah Foundation, the 2010 urbaninform competition awards the following prizes:
1st Prize: USD 2’000
2nd Prize: USD 1’500
3rd Prize: USD 1’000
September 13th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
We are constructing the most beautifull proyect in Girardot Cundinamarca Colombia South America. La transformación de imágenes y sensaciones en las que nos sumergimos frente al mar en entornos, a través del arte de diversas época se extraen tendencias que nos ayudan a expresar toda esa corriente de formas que provienen de nacer y querer vivir en él.