The Scottish Government

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Presented by the Scottish Executive in association with The Lighthouse

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The Judges

The 2004 Judges are:

• Morag Bain
  National Programme Development Officer, The Lighthouse Trust

• Robert Cowan
  Director, Urban Design Group and author of Designing Places

• Scottish Executive

Introduction to the Designing Places Award

In November 2001, the Scottish Executive issued the policy statement Designing Places which sets out the Executive's aspirations for design. A key strand of the policy is education and training and in 2002 an Urban Design Award for planning students, entitled the Designing Places Award, was introduced.

The Award is for urban design work that has been carried out as part of the curriculum on planning courses, whether a project, dissertation, essay or report. Entrants are required to submit an A2 board summarising their work. The Award is open to all under-graduate and post-graduate students and all Scottish Planning Schools were invited to enter.

In 2004, the third year of the Award, six entries were received. Nominations were made from Heriot-Watt University and the University of Dundee. The Judges were disappointed that no entries were received from the University of Aberdeen.

Winning entry
Kelty Challenge
Nominee: Heriot-Watt University
Entrant: Julie Seidel, John Davies and Richard Broadley
Type: Project

The brief for this project required students to identify urban design improvements for Kelty, in association with the local community. This entry was prepared by a group of three students from Heriot-Watt. The group produced a thorough piece of work with proposals covering social, environmental and economic issues. The Judges were extremely impressed with the professional standard of presentation and with the ambitious, yet realistic, phasing, funding and implementation plan. The Judges considered that this excellent entry was worthy of an award.

Other Entries

Although the Judges considered that the other entries did not merit an award, many of them were good examples of positive work. The Judges wish all the students every success in the future.

Kelty Urban Design Project
Nominee: Heriot-Watt University
Entrant: Michael Wright, Lesley Whitehead, Iain McFarlane and Meg Neal
Type: Project

Kinnoull Conservation Area Appraisal
Nominee: University of Dundee
Entrant: John Russell
Type: Report

Magdalen Place Conservation Area Appraisal
Nominee: University of Dundee
Entrant: Richard Todd
Type: Report

How can Planning Improve Design in Conservation Areas?
Nominee: Heriot-Watt University
Entrant: John Davies
Type: Dissertation

Planning and Urban Design in Central Edinburgh
Nominee: Heriot-Watt University
Entrant: Iain McFarlane
Type: Dissertation