Three architecture students studying at the U of A's Rome Center recently earned recognition in the Reinventing Cities competition, an international competition that stimulates sustainable and innovative development in cities across the world. This was the first time the university had entered the competition.

Kayla Hart, Aubrey Hardcastle and Olivia Harris — all fifth-year students in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design — won special mention in the competition, which is organized by C40, a global network of mayors of the world's leading cities that are united in confronting climate change. The competition tasks participants with transforming underutilized sites in cities into sustainable, resilient and community-friendly spaces.

The U of A students proposed a redesign of a canal in Rome that would remove retaining walls in favor of a public gathering space that would create food production, markets and community gardens. Specifically, their proposal included the creation of a greenhouse to support local restaurants and vendors, a water-collecting pavilion and park, and a green waste recycling center.

Aubrey Hardcastle

Olivia Harris

"The Cultivation Canal is using the resources of the river currents, sun and abundant local water supply as free energy sources for the community," their proposal stated. "This is further complemented by the public open platforms that transform the river's edge into a useable space, giving back to the community through accessibility and amenities."

"I am particularly proud of all the spring semester students of architecture who participated in the competition," said Andrew Kranis, faculty of architecture at the Rome Center. "We gave them a very complex site to analyze and far more latitude in developing their own original approaches to an Urban Design proposal than they are accustomed to back on the main U of A campus. I believe that the success of our Cultivation Canal team in the C40 competition is a great indication that our students are being well prepared back home to adapt quickly to the unfamiliar challenges of the study abroad experience while developing their craft as designers. The success of the spring cohort in the C40 competition, along with the continual success of our students in the Art Urbain International Student competition, bode well for their potential to compete in a global professional marketplace."

The project tasked students with extensive research, site visits, critiques from architecture experts and frequent meetings to ensure everyone was working toward a common goal.

"Not only the Rome Center, but also our professor, Andrew Kranis, played a huge role in the completion of this project," Hart said. "This was an amazing opportunity that my group and I took advantage of to apply some of the sustainability concepts we have been researching in our academics. It was also an amazing experience getting to know the area in Rome as we began to design the future urban planning and taking into account the culture that surrounds the area. Overall, the opportunities we had in the Rome program were endless, and receiving this recognition was the cherry on top of the entire experience."

"It is no surprise that this group of students succeeded," said John Folan, professor and head of the Department of Architecture. "I had the privilege of seeing the work in development, along with that of their colleagues, in April. The proposals were poetic, practical and convincingly represented. The sustained success of the Department of Architecture students in international competitions the Rome Center has provided access to in recent years reflects the strength of faculty inspiring their efforts."

More information on the competition can be found on the Reinventing Cities website. More information on the Rome Center can be found by visiting the Rome Center website.