Type: Student, 3-phase

Language: English

Eligibility: all architects or design students or those having graduated within 18 months of the deadline, individuals or groups of up to 4 members, ,

Registration Fee:
AIAS members: none
Non-members: $10.00

Awards:
First Place - $6,000
Second Place - $4,250
Third Place - $2150
Three Honorable Mentions: $500 each
Four Merit Awards: $75 each

Timeline:

The competition entry deadline has been extended until August 16, 2010

Jury: TBA

Design Challenge:
The U.S. Census reports that by the year 2011, a citizen will turn 65 every 8 seconds. By the year 2030, more than half of all Americans will be over the age of 50 and one in every five persons will be age 65 or older. At the same time 2010 marked the fist time in modern history that more people lived inside city limits than in suburbs and rural neighborhoods.

Designers must begin planning now for this dramatic demographic shift. It is equally important to note that as the population continues to get older, many Americans are faced with a new set of circumstances. Therefore, it is necessary to develop urban communities that are adaptable or “universally designed” to meet the needs and abilities of multiple generations.

AARP has defined a Livable Community to be “one that has affordable and appropriate housing, supportive community features and services, and adequate mobility options. Together these facilitate personal independence and the engagement of residents in civic and social life.” Over the next three years the AIAS and AARP will challenge young designers to investigate these concerns at the micro and macro level and develop design solutions that help “Create Community.”

Phase One of the Creating Community Competition, “Planning” asks students to investigate how a mixed-use, multi-generational community can not only fit within a city but how it can improve the lives of all people that live, work and play in the surrounding area. 

Submission Requirements: Digital submission, uploaded through www.aias.org/aarp, in a single ZIP folder not exceeding 20MB:
-completed submissions information cover page
-four 20” x 20” boards as a high resolution PDF or individual as 150 DPI (JPEG, TIFF, or GIF)
-Design essay as PDF or .doc file;  500 word explaining how the master plan positively affects the dynamics of everyday life for the occupants and surrounding neighborhood.

For more information, go to: www.aias.org/aarp