On 9 February 2018, at the premises of the National Library of Latvia, students from the University of Latvia (LU), Riga Technical University (RTU) and Riga International School of Economics and Business Administration (RISEBA) delivered presentations for the Mūkusalas territory development concept.
Student competition was organized for the first time in Riga for the Mūkusala brownfield pilot site that is part of Torņakalns neighborhood and located in the protection zone of the UNESCO World Heritage Center "Riga Historical Center". The participating student teams were gathered from different study fields and as a result of the hard work for many months, all three student groups emphasized the development potential of the Mūkusalas territory, visioning it as a multifunctional urban environment that would be organic for residents, existing and prospective developers and visitors.
The proposals were evaluated by a professional jury, attended by Riga City Council City Development Department specialists and representatives from the Riga City Traffic Department, Riga City Architect's Office, as well as users of the Mūkusalas territory and several professional architects, landscape specialists.
"Every inhabitant of Riga can participate in city planning processes. All city development planning documents are developed in co-operation with the public, listening to their opinions and wishes. The municipality with "Baltic Urban Lab" project gave opportunity for young specialists’ practical experience in the process of urban planning. It is a pleasure that the students were able to see the possibility of connecting businessmen in Mūkusalas with the needs and aspirations of the planned student campus for this area" - Armands Krūze, Director of City Development Department of the Riga City Council
As a result of intensive jury commission discussions, RISEBA student group were announced as the winners. Thanks to the "Baltic Urban Lab" project , Riga City Council Department of the City Development provided the opportunity to support the student teams with cash prizes, therefore, RISEBA received a monetary prize of 3000 EUR; the second place winners - the RTU team received 2000 EUR, while the third place winners - LU students receive a cash prize of 1000 EUR.
Teachers and students of the universities expressed their gratitude to Riga City Council City Development Department and "Baltic Urban Lab" project for the opportunity to participate in this type of project. Students gained intensive practical experience working with real urban research and concept development. The students' proposals will be seen in exhibition, initially at the University of Latvia, Academic Center for Natural Sciences (Jelgava’s Street 1 Riga), and from this year October at the Riga City Council on the 2nd floor.
Further information: www.rdpad.lv
