By their nature, large towns and cities are made up of strangers. Living cheek by jowl but with often limited access to quality shared spaces means it can be hard to make meaningful relationships and people in cities are more likely to experience acute loneliness and isolation, which can lead to serious physical and mental health issues including cognitive decline, dementia, stroke and heart disease.
So, how do we change this dynamic so that our towns and cities are more welcoming, social places to work and live? How do we work towards vision zero on loneliness?
LDA Design’s fourth bursary challenge for landscape architecture and urban design students is to reimagine an in-between or forgotten place in a large town or city and reclaim it so that it becomes a lively, well-connected place. What’s missing from the area and what role could this new place play in improving the lives of the elderly or young, of refugees, teenage girls or single parents. Consider reusing an existing building or structure because of the obvious imperative of retrofit in building more sustainable communities.
What role can local people play in your thinking? We want students to really think through their proposal so that it relates to the wider urban context and offers an inclusive, equitable and viable new future for an overlooked space. That space could be housing infill, a neglected, underused street, park or park structure, a disused rail line, industrial wasteland or an abandoned graving dock. Be ambitious in your plans to create a more resilient place that is responsive to local need and enhances biodiversity.
“We started our bursary scheme because we wanted to do something to help towards the costs of studying for undergraduates and postgraduates in the UK, and in particular those who have faced financial and other challenges to take up higher education,” said Lindsay Tilley, Head of People and Culture at LDA Design. “Every year, we’ve been inspired by the response from students who are thinking through the big problems we face today. ” There are five awards of £1,000 available. Recipients will also be offered paid work experience in one of LDA Design’s eight UK studios.
Submissions can be illustrations (2 x A2 max), model or illustration + words (one model/image + 1,000-word limit), or video (five minutes max).
The deadline for submissions is midnight on Thursday 24 November. Awards will be announced in January.
Contact us at bursaries@lda-design.co.uk with any questions.
Good luck, everyone.
Download the Challenge. Download the LDA Design Bursary 2022 application form.
Check out last year’s awardees.
