The Sir Patrick Geddes Memorial Trust Awards Scheme

2010/11 Awards || Application Form

Previous Awards: 2009/10 Awards || 2008/9 Awards || 2007/8 Awards

SIR PATRICK GEDDES MEMORIAL TRUST
STUDENT AWARDS SCHEME 2010-2011

The Trust is delighted to launch its Student Awards Scheme for the coming year.
We had a very good response last year and hope that those who participated felt it was worthwhile. Such was the standard of entries that the Trust decided to award an extra prize in category 2. However, no entries were received in category 3 (prize for the best first year student). Hopefully that gap will be filled this year and the prize of £50 claimed. The closing date for entries is Friday 19 November 2010.

Course leaders are therefore invited to send in examples of students' normal course work that reflects some aspect of the Geddes principle of "place, work, folk" in as many categories as they feel appropriate. As well as the chance of winning a monetary prize, there is also the prospect of participating in the Scottish Government's Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning ceremony at which the Planning Minister usually presents the awards. The day's event, to be held on 10 March 2011, allows Trust members to meet students and hear more of their studies and plans for the future. There is also the chance to learn of those whose work has received national recognition by the Scottish Government. The results of the Geddes' prizes are suitably recorded in the "Scottish Planner" and in the RTPI Scotland and the Trust's website.

Full details of the scheme are set out below, but if there are any queries do not hesitate to get in touch with mikeaffolter@btinternet.com and he will be pleased to help.

The Trust looks forward to receiving a bumper crop of nominations for the prizes available from regular and new participants to the scheme.

August 2010

Objectives
· To raise interest in and awareness of the Patrick Geddes principle of "Place, Work, Folk"
· To promote the importance of place and its relevance to-day
· To identify examples of distinctive and sustainable places in which to live and work
· To embed Geddes thinking in the basic training of planners and of those in related disciplines.

Eligibility
· Undergraduate and postgraduate students studying Planning, Architecture, Geography, Geosciences or Environmental Sciences at a Scottish university.

Categories of Award
· Category 1 An award for a piece of course work reflecting the Geddes principle of
"Place, Work, Folk"
· Category 2(a) An award for the best dissertation by an undergraduate student reflecting some aspect
of the Geddes principle
· Category 2(b) An award for the best dissertation by a postgraduate student reflecting the Geddes
principle
· Category 3 An award for the best first year undergraduate student

Submissions
· Category 1 submissions may be made by Departmental nomination, or by a student directly
· Category 2 submissions should be by Departmental nomination only
· Category 3 submissions should comprise one nomination only by each Department on behalf of an
individual student

Form and Content
· Any format is acceptable for Category 1 and Category 3 entries provided it is manageable and
presentable for consideration by the panel of judges. Any supporting /illustrative material should
preferably be in the form of images on CD-Rom in jpeg format with image resolution of at least 300dpi.
· Category 2 entries will comprise copies of dissertations as submitted for graduate and
postgraduate degrees.

Source of Work
· Previous academic year and winter term/semester of the current academic year.

Judging
· An independent panel of judges will be appointed by the Trust to whom recommendations will be
made on the awards under all categories.
· Final decisions on the awards under each Category rest with the Patrick Geddes Trust.

Awards
· Category 1 £100
· Categories 2 (a) and 2 (b) £100 each
· Category 3 £50

Timing
The closing date for entries this year will be 19 November 2010.
Nominations/entries should be submitted to: Stephen Hajducki, Secretary, Sir Patrick Geddes
Memorial Trust, 53, Albany Street, Edinburgh EH1 3QY
email: geddes@imaginise.net or stephen.hajducki@edinburgh.gov.uk

Awards' Ceremony
The Scottish Government have kindly supported the Trust's awards scheme since its inception by agreeing that we can join their Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning ceremony. This is planned for 10 March 2010 at the Hub, Edinburgh.

Application Form

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August 2010

2009/10 Awards

On 11 March 2010 , as part of the Scottish Government's Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning, John Swinney, Cabinet Secrertary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, presented certificates to winners of awards in the Sir Patrick Geddes awards' scheme.

Entries were received from students studying Town Planning, Architecture, and Creative Writing. There was considerable competition this year for awards, in categories 1 ( a piece of course work demonstrating the Geddes principle), 2a and 2b (undergraduate and post graduate dissertations respectively, reflecting some aspect of Geddes thinking) No entries were received in category 3 (best first year student). Five awards were made in total and Trustees attending the awards' ceremony, were delighted to meet and congratulate those students who were able to attend the ceremony held at the Hub. The panel of judges also met entrants beforehand at the Saltire Society's premises in High Street.

The Category 1 award went to Fiona Russell of University of Glasgow at Dumfries, Crichton University Campus for her Master of Literature degree in Creative Writing. Her work was entitled "Where Clouds come to die". The panel of judges considered it a beautifully crafted piece of non fiction about life on a sheep farm in Dumfriesshire where the link between work, place and natural history was skilfully observed and illustrated in written word, poetry and artwork throughout the seasons of the year.

Sarah Jane Laverick

In Category 2a the judges acknowledged the work of two students: Sarah Jane Laverick of the Department of Architecture at the University of Strathclyde provided a challenging appraisal of planning and design of the northern waterfront of the River Clyde in her dissertation on "A River for Citizens" She concluded that while much had been achieved much more requires to be done to secure a more complete and lasting regeneration of this important river frontage. Murray Hope's dissertation, under the intriguing title of "Cinderella goes to the Ball", addressed how the extent of people's perception of the enforcement system is directly affected by the level of participation enjoyed. Following a clearly outlined methodology he demonstrated how limited involvement in the process undermines understanding and perceived fairness in the system

Emma Rigg

In Category 2b prizes go to two students: Anne Raines of the School of Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art and Emma Rigg of the School of the Built Environment at Heriot-Watt University. The first entitled "Wandel durch (industrie) kultur. Conservation and Renewal in Rhurgebiet" provided an expansive, well researched narrative of the issues arising for conservation in an area of industrial decline and how through the development of a conservation ethic the normal approach of major demolition had been set aside in favour of a regionalisation of an ongoing process of conservation and change. While many questions remain to be answered about how much of past industrial landscapes can be sustained the conclusion was that the area's future could only evolve in response to ongoing social, economic and political change. Emma Rigg's study was on a quite different scale and asked "Are Design Codes in Scotland promoting successful places through good urban design?" The judges felt that her work had a well founded and structured methodology with a number of examples exploring whether design codes do (or don't ) relate to sound urban design principles. Her conclusions highlighted the dangers of over prescriptive codes that could lead to an architectural determinism so restricting the scope for more creativity and innovation within a less rigid framework.

The Trustees are pleased at the continuing level of interest in their awards' scheme and most grateful to all those universities that submitted entries. The work received varied from the regional to the local scale and was of a particularly high standard. Our thanks go to the Scottish Government for their continuing kind support in letting us join their national awards' ceremony and also to our sponsors, The Economic Development Investment Group, for their financial support.