The Large Urban Mayors’ Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) has launched a competition called Cities of Tomorrow.
Teams of one to five students are invited to submit a written proposal of a maximum of 2,500 words which outlines an urban technology, process, or policy program that addresses common problems large cities often face. The proposals could pertain to nearly anything, whether transportation, infrastructure, business, or emergency services.
Winning teams will be presented with a total of $50,000 in cash.
Jeff Lehman, mayor of Barrie and chairman of LUMCO, is the leading force behind the initiative. He said university and college campuses are a great place to look for innovative new ideas.
“One of the things I find often when I’m dealing with college and university students is that the creativity is unlimited by the constraints that lots of us as professionals or politicians put on ourselves,” Lehman said.
Cities of Tomorrow is the first competition of this nature in Ontario, but Lehman said it drew inspiration from similar initiatives in British Columbia and the U.K.
The leading proposals will be showcased in front of a panel of academics, senior city staff, government officials, and city mayors next fall.
If a proposal is good enough, Lehman said it could be implemented and brought to light in the real world.
“Someone could come up with a really interesting model for affordable housing and maybe we watch that get rolled out or a pilot project started in Toronto or Ottawa or Barrie,” he said.
Although $50,000 in prize money is a great incentive to enter the competition, Lehman said students will be receiving more than just money in return.
“The other major incentive is that I hope students see this as an opportunity to take work that they’re working on right now at the end of the academic year, and give it life beyond university or college,” he said. “This is an opportunity to get your ideas in front of potential employers and people who can make it happen.”
Ainslee Kent is a fourth-year business and economics student at Carleton. She said Cities of Tomorrow sounds like a great opportunity for students to gain experience.
“Although we do sort of similar simulations and cases in class, this is something that if your idea or policy is good enough, you can see it implemented in the real world and it’s a great opportunity to make connections and new contacts,” Kent said.
With IBM and the Canadian Urban Institute as the leading sponsors, there appears to be no shortage in funds for the students who lead the way with creative and innovative proposals.
