Shelter Global’s annual Dencity Competition urges architects and planners to consider those neighborhoods, and attempts to “foster new ideas on how to handle the growing density of unplanned cities,” according to a press release. ... The first place winner for 2017 is a water system for refugee camps in Jordan, by four urban design students at Columbia University. It would capture rainwater through a network of mini collection and storage units throughout the facility and is designed to account for future growth. More than functional infrastructure, the team’s design provides public space and opportunities for socializing in the camps too.

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The second and third place winners address water challenges at the Syria-Turkey border and Delhi, respectively. A group of four architects envisions modules that start with a single dwelling and expand into a network of structures that fit together and accommodate the needs of the growing Syrian refugee camp.