MIT/CRE students participated in the 23rd annual ULI/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition and their two teams earned a spot in the final four out of 83 entries! Congratulations to Soala Ajienka for her team project, CLEarwater and Hazel Sanghi Park and Andrew Oh for The Anchor District. Special thanks to Prof. Kairos Shen and Lecturer Jason Foster for mentoring and advising the teams.
Excerpt from americas.ULI.org, April 22, 2025
This year’s competition asked students for proposals to create a vibrant, mixed-use, mixed-income area on a former industrial site on Cleveland’s East Side. Working in partnership with the site owners, Industrial Development Advantage LLC, ULI created a challenge brief with input from local stakeholders asking the students to address issues of equity, housing affordability, access to the lakefront, sustainability, and connectivity to the surrounding communities.
“Congratulations to the four finalist teams on their outstanding proposals,” said Brad Soderwall, Managing Director, Hines. “Their work exemplifies the power of vision, collaboration, and creativity in shaping urban futures. It was inspiring to see such innovative ideas tackle the competition site’s unique challenges.”
The four teams that advanced to the final round of the competition were chosen from 83 entries by a jury of 14 leading ULI members from across the country. More information about the four finalists announced can be found here.
“All four finalist teams inspired the jury with imaginative visions to transform a dormant site along Cleveland’s waterfront into a dynamic, thriving neighborhood,” said Jury Chair Thomas Hussey.
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