UC5 student Anika has won the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) World Planning Day competition 2020 in the 11-15 age group. The annual competition aims to inspire secondary school students to look at the planning issues in their local area and to encourage them to consider town planning as a potential career.
In the run up to World Town Planning Day on 8th November 2020, students were asked to pitch a regeneration plan to a local council, including details of how the area should change and the issues that planners would need to consider for the changes to be implemented effectively.
More than 200 entries were received from young people across the UK, the largest number ever. Anika’s proposal considered the rehabilitation of Central Park, in the residential area of Maharani Bagh, New Delhi. Her vision included an upgraded green space promoting interaction between people from different backgrounds, as well as featuring a running track, garden amphitheatre, park pavilion and environmentally friendly transport.
Anika explains the inspiration for her proposed regeneration plan:
“Childhood memories of my neighbourhood’s community centre and local park, of its sprawling gardens and bustling walkways, lie in stark contrast to its current state, forgotten and overlooked by many. Entering the Royal Town Planning Institute’s competition gave me the opportunity to imagine how this area could once again contribute to the life of the community it serves.
I researched the problems that had contributed to the site’s degradation, examined case studies of similar projects and drew on my own knowledge of the local area in order to compile a regeneration proposal for the local council.
I was really excited to learn that I won the competition, and it feels rewarding to have done so. I’m extremely grateful for the support from teachers following the announcement!”
Anika has won an Amazon voucher and has been presented with a RTPI certificate, as well as the opportunity to undertake an online skills workshop with a chartered town planner.
The RTPI has also planted 15 trees, dedicated to the competition winners, in the National Forest in the Midlands.