Winners of the 30th Urban Design Award Announced

The competition is organized by the Department of Spatial Planning at FA CTU in cooperation with seven partner universities and professional associations of urbanists and spatial planners from Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary. The submitted student projects bring a mosaic of approaches to solving development problems not only for cities but also for the surrounding landscape – from a sophisticated way of handling rainwater using landscape planning tools to the construction of new districts within metropolises.

"The Urban Design Award is one of the events through which our faculty contributes to the international visibility of CTU. The fact that it has lasted for 30 years pleases me exceptionally, and I congratulate the organizers and the participating schools. And of course, I thank all the students who enter the competition," says Dalibor Hlaváček, Dean of FA CTU.

The first prize was won by students from FA STU in Bratislava, Nina Belásová and Victoria Betušová, for a project of a new district in Banská Bystrica. Barbora Husáková finished in second place with the project Follow the Flow, which she worked on in the Salzmann studio. It deals with the issue of water management on steep forested slopes around the historic center of Karlovy Vary and the related adjustment of the water regime. The jury praised the project as an example of landscape architecture in its best conceptual and territorial form. "It perceives the location as a dynamic system, proposes infrastructure as an ecological medium, and organizes the intervention across scale gradients," the evaluation states. The third prize was awarded to Róbert Lipták from FAD STU Bratislava for the work Revitalization of Bratislava's winter harbor.

An award was given to Faris Jašarević and Jan Stuchlík for the work Vršovice: Trains, Parks 'n Strolls. Together, they searched for sites for new construction in Prague's Vršovice with the aim of fulfilling its currently unused potential and improving the environment for current residents. The project was recognized for its comprehensive yet clearly structured response to the challenges of a fragmented urban district dominated by the railway. The jury particularly appreciated the complexity of the project. "Mobility, landscape, public space, and development potential are consistently integrated into a single, legible framework. The work convincingly demonstrates how adaptation to climate change, sustainable mobility, and heritage-sensitive renewal can be combined into a feasible vision," the jurors added.

The second awarded project from FA CTU is Under bridge – Florenc by Grigorii Matiunin from the Sitta studio. The work deals with the transformation of the Florenc district in Prague, specifically the space under the structure of the highway on Wilsonova Street. The jury praised the realistic nature of the proposal as well as its convincing presentation. "The project is a well-founded and convincing concept whose implementation would lead to a desirable positive transformation of the area," the evaluation states. The third awardee is Nikoleta Mitríková from FAD STU Bratislava for the project Beyond Suburbia.

Complete competition results, further information, and all nominated projects can be viewed on the competition website.