JCDecaux sponsors Urban Design Prize

Roberto Alejandro Cantu Gomez has won the inaugural JCDecaux Prize for Urban Design at the School of Architecture and the Built Environment at the University of Westminster. Martin Stephens from JCDecaux presented Roberto with his prize at a ceremony held last week. The annual prize rewards an MA/Postgraduate Diploma Urban Design student, whose Master Planning project is judged as most outstanding and original in exploration of how people use space. Students have been invited to enter their final projects into the competition by electronic submissions to the course team. A jury comprising course tutors selected the best project based on academic accomplishment, design quality, innovation and professional presentation. The prize, worth £250, will be presented annually by a representative of JCDecaux, the world's leading outdoor advertising company, who have helped set the prize up. “The pace of urban change and the challenge of making cities sustainable demand increasingly creative solutions to city design and management. The challenge facing cities needs to be met on a global scale, and we are delighted JCDecaux has decided to support our students in helping meet this challenge. The urban design programme at the University of Westminster enjoys an extremely high reputation in the industry and this prize is welcome recognition of the quality of the work here,” said Tim Edmundson, Head of the Department of Planning and Transport. Lawrence Haines, Managing Director, Large Format at JCDecaux said, “At JCDecaux we understand the importance of great design in creating street furniture and advertising structures that enhance the wider urban landscape and help cities meet their transport needs. This strategy influences all JCDecaux’s products from the reinvention of the bus shelter to prize-winning self-service bicycle systems such as Vélib in Paris. We are delighted to sponsor this prize that recognises up-and-coming design talent.” See the prize-winning urban design and runners up here. For further information please contact:

Janet Guest

PR Manager, JCDecaux

020 7298 8023/ 0776 9701268/ janet.guest@jcdecaux.co.uk