OPEN DESIGN COMPETITION LAUNCHED

Among other things, Urban Re: Vision organises competitions to find answers to pressing problems in the urban habitat. The intention with Re:Vision Dallas is ambitious to say the least -to make a serious case for a remake of the heartland of unsustainability and, more importantly, show how it can be done. The slogan goes 'The future of cities starts now... one block at a time. It is a good slogan. Only there are so many blocks to do... Here is what Re: Vision is trying to do, a mission statement if you will:

Re:Vision is a revolutionary initiative to create the prototype for an innovative, sustainable urban community. At the heart of the process is a series of contests generating visionary ideas for what can and should be in the design about urban space.*

As far as competition can be revolutionary, they are dependent on how far the implementation goes. From the Re:Vision Dallas website, some tentative questions about what it could generate:

Our 6th competition in a series, Re:Vision DALLAS is an opportunity to create new site-specific designs that will transform an existing city block in Dallas into a model of sustainable practices. How will it change the landscape of the city, the region, and other urban settings around the country or the world? We invite you to be part of this ground-breaking effort and help lay the foundation for sustainable urban design.**

Architecture for Humanity's founder Caeron Sinclair will be one of the competition judges. This in itself is a reassuring fact; Sinclair could function as a template for passionate integrity. His initiative, Open Architecture Network, is hosting another competion on the subject, the classroom of tomorrow [read about it here].

In December I wrote an article on a Texan utilities company's approach to greenwashing under the heading Texas USA... What Shall We Do With It? [Read it here]. Well, Urban Re:Vision, in getting the city in on it, has made a powerful statement; Dallas actually wants to see this happen. Hats off to the hands-on approach, Re:Vision.

For everyone out there with a passion for designing tomorrow and the talent to go through with it, here are some dates for your calendar:

• Competition Launch: January 26, 2009
• Registration Deadline: April 15, 2009
• Entry Deadline: Midday April 30, 2009
• Jury Session: May 2009
• Winning Designs Announced: May 21, 2009

So designers, get to it. And the cheerleaders sing: 'Go Texas, Go Texas...'

* From the Urban Re:Vision website/blog, see it here.

** See the Re: Vision DALLAS here.

Posted under Eco Build, Environmental News