Design Problem – Adult Teams
Goals and Priorities
The goal of the Thriving by Design competition is to stimulate thought, conversation and visioning across the state about the future of Minnesota, with reflection on the first 150 years of statehood. Key to this visioning is the role that planning and design can play in shaping Minnesota’s economic competitiveness and quality of life for the next 50 years.
- The first priority in the competition is engagement of individuals from different professional and educational disciplines, along with non-professional citizens of the state and youth, in envisioning a thriving Minnesota of the future.
- The second priority is for this visioning to cut across traditional issues and to make connections between concerns that are not necessarily typically addressed together. For example, in recent years there has been an increasing awareness of the connection between the built environment and the physical health of community members.
- The third priority is to identify design ideas which are relevant statewide, or at least regionally.
- The fourth priority is to generate designs that relate specifically to Minnesota--its landscape, resources, history, culture, people, etc.
Team Requirement
Work must be the product of an interdisciplinary team. (See eligibility section.) Teams are encouraged to also include community or non-professional citizen participation. This could mean that the design submitted is built upon an earlier community visioning or planning process.
Design Question
After 150 years of statehood, knowing what we know now and the tools we have, combined with the ingenuity of our people, and facing the global pressures around us, how would you "design" Minnesota today to be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, to carry on with our high quality of life well in the 21st century?
Scope and Scale
Design submissions are expected to be conceptual in nature and no technical or construction information is required.
Teams may choose between three scales at which to work: statewide, regional or community. If working at a community scale the design concepts should not be unique to one specific community -- the underlying concepts should be transferable to other communities throughout the state. Teams who work at a regional or community scale are encouraged to include information showing how their design would be applicable or adaptable statewide.
Design solutions must address four “environments”:
- Economic environment
- Natural environment
- Social environment
- Cultural environment
Teams are encouraged to address several elements, cogently. Designs must address at least two elements, such as (but not limited to) the following. The best entries will successfully integrate several elements.
- Physically healthy communities
- Socially healthy communities
- City planning and zoning
- Community revitalization
- Downtown, waterfront or special district development
- Public spaces and places
- Transportation systems
- Cultural and historic places
- Tourism
- Economic development
- Education
- Natural resources
- Housing
- Agriculture
- Energy