By : JD
Jordan Daily – Students from Turkey, France and Spain won prizes in a competition on urban design for climate change in the Mediterranean region, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) said.
In a statement sent to Jordan Daily , the competition, organised by the UfM and supported by several institutions, invited students to submit solutions for Mediterranean cities that will face rising sea levels, droughts and high temperatures due to global warming.
Held at the Barcelona Hilton, the award ceremony saw Özyeğin University students win first place for Symbiosis with Amik Lake, a project aimed at rectifying the delicate relationship between the Turkish lake’s waters and its surrounding habitat. Eda Akarsu, Beril Özelçi, and Özge Keskin were awarded €5,000 by the UfM for their approach to preserving the lake’s memory, enhancing its adaptive capacity, and regenerating its responsiveness to change.
ENSA Marseille student Viktoryia Baravikova came in second place for ALTEO. Transformation of the Post-Industrial Area of Alteo into a Sustainable Development Park. Her design, which was awarded €3,000 by the UfM, seeks to improve water quality in southern France’s Luynes River by relocating a polluting company’s production and restoring permeability in the area.
PR-R1 Camí del Riel earned Elena del Cura Berzal and Clara Domínguez Gallardo of Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya the third-place prize. Their project to enhance northeastern Spain’s Tordera River delta and plain’s ability to host campsites in an environmentally friendly manner by transforming the area into a water retention landscape was awarded €2,000 by Özyeğin University.
Two proposals received honourable mentions:
- Camp with Us by Yıldız Technical University, Zeynep Ece Katipoğlu, Ahmet Hakan Uğur, Kaan Kağızman and Gizem Baydı of Istanbul Technical University
- The inhabited lagoon of Camargue by ENSA Marseille’s Liam McCorley and Mathieu Burger
The projects were judged based on their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals as well as other cultural, social, economic and environmental factors. A jury of experts from 12 countries selected the winners from more than 80 proposals.
“The Mediterranean Sea is warming at a rate 20% faster than the global average,” UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel said. “This means innovative urban planning and architecture solutions are a must if the region hopes to successfully adapt to the threat of climate change.”
The UfM said it is proud to encourage and honour the students who will lead the way to a more sustainable future for generations to come.
