Do you want to: access and receive mentoring from one of the world’s top engineering firms, get behind-the-scenes of London’s top strategic body, shadow the work being done on billion pound regeneration projects, and present your winning idea to senior professionals?

All over the UK, urban centres are being revived and regenerated. In light of Covid-19, the pressure is on to build more, better, faster, and cheaper than ever before. But any attempt to change the urban landscape is a highly complex process. Can the traditional high street be reimagined through these neighbourhood regeneration initiatives, or will they be left behind?

The London Interdisciplinary School has teamed up with Jacobs and the Greater London Authority (GLA)  to host an exciting competition around the future of cities. If you’re interested in sustainability, urban design, engineering, social change, architecture, or wellbeing, then this is the challenge for you.

The Challenge: There are two challenges to choose from: Either re-design your local neighbourhood centre, or consider the effects regeneration efforts would have on an icon high street like Oxford Street. You can submit a written response or a visual piece to either of the challenges. The judging panel will be choosing a winner from each challenge, as well as runners up. 

The Prize: Our judging panel will select two winners (one from each challenge) as well as runners up. Both winners will be invited to present their ideas to senior members of Jacobs and the GLA Regeneration team. They will be offered remote mentoring sessions with a senior member of the Jacobs team. COVID-19 permitting, the winners will also be invited to London to shadow Jacobs, the Meridian Water project, and projects led through GLA’s London Recovery High Street Mission.