Mayor's Urban Design Awards

This category recognizes a civic improvement project such as a park, a public space, civil engineering or infrastructure project. The design will reinforce the value of urban design through the creation of an innovative public realm which addresses inclusivity, sustainability, and engagement with community and context.  

Eligibility

A construction project completed or installed after August 17, 2021, within Calgary. Submissions must be led by a registered design professional (architect, engineer, planner or landscape architect).  

Award criteria

• Positive contribution to the public realm
• Design excellence
• Demonstration of the value of urban design and its ability to creatively address equity, inclusivity, accessibility and climate resilience, while engaging with its context

Winners in this award category will be invited to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.

This category is for any built project or community improvement program, however modest, initiated and implemented by a community-based organization or partnership that enhances the public realm. Streetscaping, public art, commemorative or interpretive installations, and environmental initiatives are examples of this category. 

Eligibility

The improvement must have been completed after August 17, 2021, within Calgary.

Award criteria

• Wide community involvement: Demonstration of how the community was involved and supported the improvements
• Positive contribution to the public realm 
• Innovation and uniqueness of the built project 
• Design rationale should be clearly described and well-illustrated 
• Reflects neighbourhood culture and resident diversity

Winners in this award category will be invited to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.

This category is for a plan or a study of a site or area within Calgary that provides a strategy for urban transformation. It is intended for unbuilt work and is not dependent on implementation status. Visionary urban design studies, master plans, development proposals, redevelopment strategies and community plans of high ambition and inspirational value may be submitted. 

Eligibility

The plan, study or proposal must have been completed after August 17, 2021, within Calgary.

Award criteria

• Employs a holistic, systemic approach to city-building
• Demonstrates critical thinking and strategic foresight to address current and future challenges
• Reflects the city that Calgary aspires to be - inclusive, diverse, equitable, adaptable and resilient
• Clearly describes and illustrates design concepts

This category is for residential design projects, constructed or approved, of any size or scale, which demonstrate innovation in the areas of neighbourhood intensification, accessibility, affordability, “aging in place”, and promoting wellness through healthy living environments. Particularly, the award focuses on designs which contribute to providing creative solutions to the problem of housing affordability, providing improved livability for seniors, and providing simple, viable housing design options for those citizens facing mobility challenges.    

Eligibility

A building or complex of buildings approved or completed construction after August 17, 2021, within Calgary. 

Award criteria

• Exhibits innovations which address one or more of the challenging design issues listed above
• Illustrates an awareness of and response to existing surrounding context 
• Contributes to the public realm in a positive way 
• Strives to achieve a healthy and high quality of life for its occupants through design innovation
• Supports social outcomes and/or community well-being through partnerships or collaboration  
• Design rationale should be clearly described and well-illustrated

Winners in this award category may be eligible to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.

This category recognizes a building or group of buildings that contribute to, and support, an urban design initiative. The submission may be for an individual building or group of buildings, of high architectural standard, which achieve urban design excellence through their unique relationship with their immediate surroundings because of siting, massing, and pedestrian amenities. The building(s) will also contribute to defining a special relationship with the neighbouring urban fabric. Interior spaces can be included if they have a strong relationship to/influence on the public realm and meet the criteria.  

Eligibility

A new building, a renovated building, or complex of buildings completed after August 17, 2021, within Calgary.  Submissions must be led by a Registered Architect.

Award criteria

• Positive contribution to the public realm 
• Architectural excellence 
• Demonstration of the value of urban design through their unique relationship with/influence on/creation of public realm
• Design rationale should be clearly described and well-illustrated

Winners in this award category will be invited to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.

This category recognizes a plan or a study of an area within Calgary that provides a development or redevelopment strategy for urban transformation. It is intended for work that has some certainty of implementation within a mid-term to long-term timeframe. Urban Design studies, master plans, redevelopment strategies, and community plans of high inspirational value with the potential for significant impact on the city’s sustainability or development may be submitted.

Eligibility

The plan or study must have been completed after August 17, 2021, within Calgary.

Award criteria

• Addresses a wide range of factors affecting development
• Highlights new ideas and/or approaches to interventions in the city
• Addresses Calgarians’ shared priorities and vision around inclusivity, diversity, equity, climate, and resilience 
• Design rationale should be clearly described and well-illustrated.

Winners in this award category will be invited to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.

Urban fragments are single or multiple small-scale pieces of a building or landscape that contribute significantly to the quality of the public realm. This category includes elements such as street furniture, lighting elements, interpretation media, memorials, public art, or other forms of intervention that contribute to the beautification, sustainability, enjoyment, and/or appreciation of the urban environment. Projects can be of a temporary (but not ephemeral) or permanent nature.  

Eligibility

Completed or installed after August 17, 2021, within Calgary.

Award criteria

• Positive contribution to the public realm
• Design excellence
• Innovation and uniqueness of the element
• Design rationale should be clearly described and well-illustrated

Winners in this award category will be invited to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.

Submissions may be made directly from individual students or groups of students enrolled in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, planning or related programs. Students and student groups may also be nominated by their schools to submit. Submissions must be the result of a studio project or a final project or thesis.

Eligibility

This category is open to students enrolled in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, planning or related programs, at the undergraduate or graduate level, after August 17, 2024.

Awards will be given for student work completed at both the undergraduate and graduate level; however, only students at the graduate level will be invited to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.

Projects must investigate sites or be implementable on sites within Calgary.

Award criteria

• Comprehensiveness: Addressing a wide range of factors affecting development and providing solutions to the stated problem 
• Conceptual clarity and urban design excellence, as demonstrated in the illustrations showing physical improvements
• Design rationale should be clearly described and well-illustrated

The Jury may also give special commendation to those projects which embody excellence in climate resilience.  These projects should exemplify both technical innovation and creative, thoughtful design which advances our climate goals while enriching the human experience and creating great places.

Lastly, the jury may select up to two projects, from any category, to receive a Confluence Award.  Awards in this category will be given to a public space, building, or group of buildings that embody urban design excellence and creativity through awareness of the Calgary context, particularly its history and culture. Award winners will embody visionary city-building and aspire to be culturally and historically reflective and aesthetically significant.