From aiding refugee camps to at-risk riverfront communities, here are the winning Dencity 2017 proposals

It's that time of year again! Non-profit group Shelter Global revealed the winners of the third Dencity ideas competition, which challenges designers worldwide to develop inventive architectural solutions that can potentially help improve the lives of inhabitants in informal settlements across the globe. 

The jury selected three prize winners, whose concepts focused on aiding refugee populations as well as building flood resilience for at-risk communities in Delhi, India. Six honorable mentions were also announced. Have a look at them below:

1ST PLACE: “Palestine: The Right to Water”
Team: Majed Abdulsamad, Jun Seong Ahn, Maria Isabel Carrasco, Haochen Yan

Project excerpt: “In a regional context of dependency and subordination under which the camp relies, The Right To Water utilizes the irregularity and extreme density of the refugee camp to create an adequate and independent rainwater collection system that has the capacity to empower the population towards sustainable access to resources beyond regional limitations. The project aspires to fill the water shortage gap while providing structural basis for future vertical growth for the refugee camps in the dense city of Amman. Through a system of decentralized micro-water collection and storage units, the project aims to create an extended network of reservoirs embedded in the built fabric. Within this context, the urban fabric performs as a second topography that can be molded and reshaped through various interventions ranging from the use of elevated light structures that capture and divert the flow of water, to the provision of storage facilities...”

2ND PLACE: “Syria: Beyond Slums”
Entry by: Abdelrahman Magdy, Islam El Mashtooly, Idil Kantarci, Muhammad Habsah

Project excerpt: “Objective of the project is planning and organizing the rapidly growing density of refugee camps and improving their living conditions by introducing new infrastructure that is inspired from their rich history and culture. The design process starts with one human and his needs which creates the smallest unit. We developed a modular system around a unit. Adding further units, let the houses grow in any direction for different needs and offers a great amount of flexibility to react to different situations. Throughout adding the units, traditional Syrian dwelling get shaped. When the dwellings come together, they creates the clusters, the clusters creates the neighborhood and the neighborhood creates the village. This approach takes on thoughts of a society, where each person is equally important form a larger community.”

3RD PLACE: “Delhi: Flood Resilience”
Entry by: Adèle Hopquin

Project excerpt: “The project aims to use the recurring flood risk as a tool to build a more equitable city. It focuses on the transformation process of community areas, and the way public spaces can be adapted to the flood and the peoples needs. The question of the flood is political and can only be resolved at the city level. First, we propose an overarching city-wide plan. It maps the potential places of transformation in association with the existing settlements along the river in order to develop a model of co-management. Giving the opportunity for people to act on the land represents an alternative to relocation. The larger vision aims at empowering citizens, especially the slum inhabitants.”

Don't forget about the Special Mention entries in the gallery below! You can find more about the winning entries at shelterglobal.org/competition/2017.