The Edmund N. Bacon Urban Design Awards Student Competition was founded in 2006 in memory of Philadelphia’s iconic 20th century city planner, Ed Bacon [1910-2005]. This annual competition, with a $5,000 first prize, challenges university-level students (undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral) from around the world to address real-world urban design issues in Philadelphia that have application not only to our city, but to urban centers around the globe. The competition is organized by the Ed Bacon Memorial Committee of the Center for Architecture and Design.

This student competition is open to undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students in any field of study who will be matriculating during the fall semester coinciding with the competition. Recent graduates are not eligible to participate unless they will be matriculating at a college or university during the fall semester coinciding with the competition. The most successful entries tend to come from diverse teams which include individuals from a variety of fields: architecture, urban planning, design (industrial, graphic, etc.), landscape architecture, public health, economic development, environmental science, real estate law, business, or other fields which might bring innovative ideas to your proposal.

2020 COMPETITION TOPIC | THE BIG PICTURE: REVEALING GERMANTOWN’S ASSETS

Chelten Avenue is the heart of the Germantown business district in northwest Philadelphia. The most economically diverse neighborhood in the city, Germantown is an African American community which bridges the economically disadvantaged neighborhoods of North Philadelphia to the east with the wealthier Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill neighborhoods to the west. The Chelten Avenue shopping district benefits from two regional rail stations (along different train lines) and one of the busiest bus stops in the city, located midway between the stations. In addition, the southern end of the shopping district is just steps from the expansive Wissahickon Valley Park, one of the most wild places in Philadelphia, visited by over 1 million people each year.