Image © SOM
The WAN Urban Design Award probably throws up the biggest challenges for any jury, not least due to the variance in scale of each project. Often it is an urban regeneration scheme with an urgent social or environmental agenda. Sometimes it is a project that simply wishes to renew a city’s acquaintance with a post-industrial waterfront, conjuring up new places where people just want to be. The ‘Future Schemes’ winner is Nanjing Xiaguan Riverfront Master Plan, Nanjing, China by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. It was felt to be a very mature response to its brief.