Student Planning and Design Competition
2025 Student Planning and Design Competition
Denver, CO | March 31, 2025
We are excited to announce the location of the American Planning Association's 2025 Student Planning and Design Competition. The selected site is the Colfax & Federal Clover Leaf, a 23-acre parcel in Denver, CO, which will also host the 2025 National Planning Conference. This site is adjacent to Empower Field at Mile High to the east and multi-family neighborhoods to the west.
The Latino Cultural Art Center is on Old West Colfax Ave. and Mile High Stadium Circle. There is also an old bar across the street (The Original Brooklyn’s). It’s only half a block of buildings next to the major thoroughfares and parking lots.
2024 Student Planning and Design Competition
Minneapolis, MN | April 15, 2024
Co-sponsored by the American Planning Association (APA) Urban Design and Preservation Division, Divisions Council, and Student Representatives Council, APA presented the Annual Student Planning and Design Competition, which culminated in a final competition event and winner selection at the 2024 National Planning Conference (NPC24) in Minneapolis, MN.
This opportunity for student planning and design in real-life spaces continued APA's ongoing effort to provide leadership in developing vital communities. Through excellence in planning, promoting education, and citizen empowerment, APA hoped to provide emerging professionals with the tools and support necessary to meet the challenges of growth and change.
2024 Student Planning and Design Competition Prompt
2024 Student Planning and Design Competition Participant Testimonials
2024 Student Planning and Design Competition Winners
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Twin City Studios
Massachusetts Institute of Technology team members: Zak Davidson, Cal Wagner, Hannah Leung, APA President Angela D. Brooks, FAICP, Sophia Belen Chiappero, and Mikal Berra.
Second Place
University of Minnesota
Third Place
University of Illinois-Chicago
2024 Student Planning and Design Competition Finalist Teams
Honorable Mentions
Read more about the Student Planning and Design Competition
The 2024 American Planning Association's Student Planning & Design Competition concluded its seventh year, showcasing urban planning students' skills and vision.
Blog Post
Fostering the Future of Planning: Outcomes from the 2024 Student Planning & Design Competition
2024 Student Planning and Design Competition Participant Testimonials
Experiencing the APA Student Planning Competition is more than just a challenge; it's an immersion into real-life urban planning scenarios. It is where diverse perspectives converge, allowing us to witness firsthand how experienced professionals approach complex issues. As some of us are international participants, it is our inaugural opportunity to delve into American urban design, American public policies, exchange ideas, and witness the power of collective innovation in shaping cities.
—Sofia Chiappero
Participating in the APA Student Planning and Design Competition was an amazing opportunity to collaborate with my classmates from different backgrounds and use our collective expertise to solve a real world planning problem. I’m grateful for the opportunity we had to travel to NPC to present our design, meet the other teams, and share our experiences.
—Cale Wagner
Participating in the APA Student Planning and Design Competition has been such a fulfilling experience, coming from diverse backgrounds to collaborate and apply planning concepts in real-world scenarios. This challenge was particularly exciting as we're simulating the design phase of an ongoing project! We are humbled to have presented among peers and fellow aspiring planners and are excited to see how the New Nicollet Initiative unfolds.
—Hannah Leung
2024 Student Planning and Design Competition Final Jurors
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Final juror
Mileyka Burgos-Flores
Mileyka Burgos-Flores is a Dominican-American activist and founding executive director of The Allapattah Collaborative, CDC, a local nonprofit organization aimed at revitalizing the commercial corridor of Little Santo Domingo while preserving and expanding the area's cultural authenticity. In addition to mitigating the pressures of climate gentrification, her leadership focuses on (1) implementing placemaking techniques to foster identity, (2) fostering strategies that support, train, and empower small businesses to thrive, and (3) advocating for policies/procedures that support equitable, comprehensive, and sustainable community development. -
Final juror
Kris Krider, AICP
Kris Krider, AICP joined the Arlington County, Virginia Planning Division in 2013 as the County Architect and Supervisor for the Urban Design Section. Kris has a Master of Architecture from the University of California at Berkley and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of North Carolina Charlotte. He has also completed postgraduate work in economic development at the UNC’s School of Government and spent a year studying urban design in Copenhagen, Denmark. -
Final juror
Sean M. Maguire, AICP
Sean M. Maguire, AICP CEcD is an experienced economic development and planning professional with over 20 years of experience driving growth and innovation. As a dual-certified planner and economic developer, Sean brings a diverse skillset spanning real estate, workforce development, community engagement, and data analysis. -
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Final juror
Meg McMahan, AICP
Meg McMahan, AICP, is the Director of Planning for the City of Minneapolis, MN, where she works to leverage development and rethink regulatory systems to drive equitable outcomes. She has spent her career in municipal planning and community development, focusing on innovative, community-centered, and justice-driven solutions. -
Final juror
Alysia D. Osborne, AICP
Alysia Davis Osborne has more than two decades of diverse experience in both the public and private sectors, establishing herself as a seasoned professional in urban planning and community development. Currently holding the position of Division Manager/Assistant Director within the City of Charlotte's Planning, Design, and Development Department, Alysia plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of the city.
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Previous Winners
2023
Arizona State University | Sun Devil Development Team
Repairing Logan's Urban Fabric: The Stitch Project
Vision Statement
"The Logan Triangle will be mended back into the urban fabric of the Logan Neighborhood having become a healthy, safe, affordable, desirable, and sustainable community by 2033. This will be accomplished by The Stitch Project, a design that will transform the Triangle from a detached piece of Philadelphia's urban fabric, back into a vital part of the Logan community. The Project will accomplish this through four categories of complementary activities: connecting people with places, blending old and new, enhancing quality of life, and reviving to thrive."
Sun Devil Development Team: Bryan Leyba (MUEP & MSUS), Kelsey Ouellette (MSUS), Sara Pimentel (MUEP), Deema Abdul Rahman (MUEP), and Leen Elharake (MUEP).
2021
First Place
Reimagine, Macon Georgia
Team Reimagine — University of Georgia
Team Reimagine pursues to help regenerate a city that has struggled with many challenges regarding civic engagement, socioeconomic mixing/racial injustice, connectivity between communities, and environmental sustainability. The purpose of honing deep on site context and analysis was to find the true character of the spaces and the people of Macon. Our proposed ideas and designs strove to not only tackle the existing challenges but to also help create a healthy and safe environment for all residents in the community through public access, parks and recreation, and revitalizing the downtown.
Team Members: Adolfo Martinez, Karlie Roper, Margaret Apperson, Duncan Watts, Jeremy Smith, Anneka Pace
2020
First Place
Team RES
Columbia University
2020 Student Design Competition Winners
"Team RES (resilient, responsive, restorative) seeks to promote healthy communities, support workforce development and community entrepreneurship, increase high-quality housing options, and incorporate strategies that optimize environmental assets and awareness. Through our proposal, we seek to address some of the community's concerns targeting flood mitigation, environmental remediation, gentrification, housing affordability, and the high crime rate. We explore the myriad of solutions around planning for communities that are equitable, resilient, and for residents who need ready access to housing that's affordable."
Second Place
University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign
Third Place
Harvard University
2019
Team Fruitpad
Cornell University
2019 Student Design Competition winners, Team Fruitpad from Cornell University.
2018
NOLA Shares
Cornell University
Team Leader — Anna Callahan; Team Members — Thomas Pera, Hannah Plummer, Kari Spiegelhalter
NOLA Shares features a web and app-based platform that aims to increase and facilitate shared skills, resources and knowledge across the Iberville community in downtown New Orleans. In addition to cloud-based infrastructure, the team proposed physical kiosks installed throughout the neighborhood to guarantee access for all residents.
2018 Student Design Competition Winners: Team Leader - Anna Callahan; Team Members - Thomas Pera, Hannah Plummer, and Kari Spiegelhalter.
2017
L.E.A.P. to a Smart Future
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Team Leader — Xiaochen Chen; Team Members — Yuanyi Xiao, Donggyu Lee
The 2017 Student Design Competition invited interdisciplinary student teams to apply place-based Smart City technologies to a specific New York City site. The winning team, L.E.A.P. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, creatively identified a four-part vision — L.E.A.P. to a Smart Future — detailing how Smart City technologies could be used to improve Livability, Empowerment, Accessibility, and Play on site.