FORM FOLLOWS LIFE

In this competition, we challenge participants to reimagine urban spaces through the lens of life (including human, plant and animal).

Proposals should develop an approach to shape cities as systems supporting life and enhancing its relational qualities, rather than as productive and efficient ‘machines’.

Participants are invited to submit designs that showcase the transformation of urban spaces into thriving ecosystems that respect and reflect the complex interdependencies of life. The designs should explore radical approaches towards the rethinking and designing of urban spaces.

Over the last two centuries many urban areas have evolved under the heavy influence of industrial and economic priorities, leading to a significant division between human constructions and natural environments. This historical context sets the stage for our challenge: to bridge this divide through innovative urban design that respects, reflects and enhances the dynamic relationships of all living forms – human, plant, and animal; to imagine a city that cares, heals, and grows with all living forms by asking “what are the qualities of life and how can we harness them as shaping forces for cities?”

This competition seeks to create space for a paradigm shift in the way we think, plan and live in cities towards FORM FOLLOWS LIFE…