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Global design competition puts Sudbury in the spotlight

The McEwen School of Architecture gives back to the City through an urban design ideas competition, with the goal of providing new perspectives for the City, following the end of COVID-19

(May 27, 2020) Laurentian University’s McEwen School of Architecture (MSoA) is excited to announce that the Sudbury 2050 Urban Design Ideas Competition is in full swing. You can check it out at sudbury2050.ca.

The Sudbury 2050 Urban Design Ideas Competition offers a unique opportunity for urban thinkers from around the world to present their visions for our city’s future. It’s a chance to reimagine the entire urban core of a city.

There has never been a design competition like this in Canada.

The competition is open to anyone interested in the future of our city. That includes not just architects, students, urban planners, engineers, environmental designers, but all visionaries and urban thinkers of any age or background.

Regardless of when the Covid recovery happens, there is no question but that our world will be dramatically different than it is today - moving from 2020 towards 2050.

We all recognize that resuming urban planning with a “business as usual” approach is not an option. All cities will be reassessing their approach to future planning, particularly with regard to major projects.

The ideas put forward in this competition will prove invaluable in helping local leaders find solutions, as they develop the city’s plans for the future, including ways to recover from the social, economic and healthcare impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This competition will create a forum for the presentation of new and aspirational ideas from innovative, urban thinkers, from around the world. 

Submissions for this competition will be judged on the quality of the following core elements: 

  • new perspectives for our community that are innovative and aspirational
  • solutions that offer direction for short, medium and long-term actions
  • strategies for engaging the community in the design process
  • principles that will guide future urban planning

Submissions close August 28, 2020. Please click here to learn more about the competition

There are three prize categories – Open, Student, and People’s Choice. The community will have the opportunity to view the submissions and vote for a People’s Choice winner. The winners will be announced in the fall, with prizes totalling over $60,000.

The jury will be announced shortly and will be posted to the competition website. Check out sudbury2050.ca for all the details, including submission guidelines.

ABOUT MSoA
The McEwen School of Architecture (MSoA), one of Laurentian University's professional schools, is located in Sudbury, Ontario. MSoA offers a four-year pre-professional Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS), as well as a two-year Master of Architecture degree. 
Situated in the Canadian north, the School features an integrated co-operative program where students obtain practical experience through work-term placements with related architectural and design employers.

Francophone, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives are central to the unique tri-cultural mandate of the program. Through Elders in residence, Indigenous faculty members, French design studio instruction, and local community-design and design-build exercises each year, students are exposed to an array of methods, knowledge, and experience that is uniquely ‘Northern’.