Architects and students of architecture have been offered a special opportunity to make a difference in their communities. The International Union of Architects (UIA) has launched “A Celebration of Cities,” an international ideas competition to collect ideas and create a global database of inventive ways to repair and heal the nerve points of the city. The AIA will serve as organizer for entries from the U.S.

Referring to the architect as an “urban physician,” UIA President Jaime Lerner, Hon. FAIA, calls the competition an “international consultation” and an exercise in “urban acupuncture.” The emphasis is on small-scale, sustainable solutions that are simple and have an immediate effect, while remaining economical. All types of housing and urban areas are targeted, including large housing complexes, shanty towns, historic cities, and modern suburbs.

The range of sponsoring organizations in addition to the AIA include: The American Architectural Foundation, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, and American Institute of Architecture Students.

Architect and student projects selected in the international stage will receive special recognition from the UIA and be presented at the UIA World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2005. A representative of each winning project will receive free registration to the congress.

Judging criteria:

• Pertinence of proposal in relation to the identified problem
• Originality of proposal
• Contribution of proposal to living conditions
• Sustainable development
• Creation of social links
• Architectural quality of proposal
• Harmony between proposal and natural and cultural environment
• Feasibility.

Timetable
Deadline for registration with the AIA: October 6
Deadline for receipt of submissions at the AIA: December 12
AIA national jury: January, 2004
Deadline for receipt of national-level winners
at UIA Headquarters in Paris: February 19, 2004
International jury: March 2004.

Categories and eligibility
The competition is organized in two categories: professionals (an individual architect or a team led by an architect licensed in any one of the 55 U.S. jurisdictions) and students (an individual student currently pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in architecture from an accredited school or a team of students led by a student currently pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in architecture from an accredited school).

Registration
Registration fees are $100 (US) for architects and $25 for students. (Schools will jury their own submissions and submit one entry per school). The AIA jury will select 10 from among these submissions: 5 for the student category and 5 for the professional category. For registration details, click here.

Submission requirements
Projects must not have been implemented, and must be:

• Submitted on two A1 format panels (84.1 centimeters. x 59.4 centimeters or approximately 33 inches x 24 inches) that show the present state of the relevant site as well as the proposed project and an explanatory text of 500 words, maximum
• Accompanied by an electronic version of the proposal on CD-ROM sent with the paper version (.dxf and/or .jpg files, resolution suitable for publication)
• Accompanied by an identification envelope marked with the category and identification code. (Follow this link, see Article 10.)

Prizes
Awards will include:

• One grand prize per category of 5,000 euro (approximately $5,500)
• One prize per region in each category of 1,000 euro (approximately $1,100)
• Free registration to the UIA World Congress in Istanbul in 2005 for one representative from each winning team
• Two mentions per category and per region.

Copyright
The authors of projects shall retain copyright, but the organizers shall have the right to publish photos of these projects along with the names of the authors. Entries will not be returned.

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