This project aims to revitalise a community through the adaptive reuse of abandoned buildings. By transforming these structures into affordable housing, educational spaces, retail outlets, and leisure facilities, seek to create a vibrant and sustainable neighbourhood.

To foster a strong sense of community and environmental responsibility, the team proposes incorporating the successful So+Ma model from Salvador. This incentive-based system will encourage recycling and waste reduction while providing essential support to residents. A key component of the project is to create a walkable and connected neighbourhood prioritising pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Improved public transportation access and green spaces, such as the transformation of the Praça do Taboão car park, will enhance the overall quality of life.

Additionally, the establishment of a cultural centre will not only enrich the community but also provide opportunities for economic growth through partnerships with local businesses and the integration of a recycling centre.

The team said "The most gratifying thing was having the opportunity to propose design solutions outside the traditional academic environment and apply some of what we learned as students and users of these spaces. It was especially rewarding to develop proposals that consider, above all, the diversity, nuances, and unique contexts of Salvador, particularly in the territory of the Pilar Community. This project will help contribute to building a more inclusive city connected with local realities, making us understand that sustainability is about relating nature, spaces and people.”

Congratulations to all teams that participated! Check out the documentation tab to view the winning team's proposal. 

Special mention | Ponta de Lança, Universidade do Estado da Bahia

• Team members:  Beatriz Boaventura, Caìque Lima, Rodrigo Mato Grosso & Matheusa Nascimento & Polyana Ferreira de Lucena.

• Advisor: Lysie dos Reis Oliveira, Doctor in Social History from UFBA

Special mention | Cornerstone Community, University of Colorado, Boulder

• Team members: Josefina Hajek Herrera, Ryan Brown, Krystal Geevarughese, Sierra Brown & Sarah McLaurin

• Advisors: Alice Reznickova (MENV Capstone Lead & Teaching Associate Professor), Meghan McCarroll (MENV Teaching Faculty) and William Shutkin (MENV Interim Faculty Director, Urban Resilience & Sustainability Specialization Lead, and Teaching Associate Professor

Comunidade do Pilar has a rich heritage and was founded in the 16th Century at the base of Salvador's geological fault, which divides the city into an upper and lower level.

The area requires intervention to improve the living conditions of the people who currently occupy it informally. Actions such as building restoration and developing sports/leisure facilities make Comunidade do Pilar ideal for innovative architectural and urban proposals that can come from a competition such as Students Reinventing Cities. 

The overarching objective is to repurpose this space, which is now physically degraded and socially stigmatized, by reconnecting this territory with its history and people. Thus, it is hoped that through this competition, real change will take place within the area.

Approx. site area:

• 12.93 ha.

Key information:

• 5.62 ha of the territory occupied by the Pilar Community is within a Special Zone of Social Interest (ZEIS-161 Pilar) with informal settlements and low-income residents, where 467 people live, making up to 174 families. 

Priority areas & main expectations: 

Students' proposals should redevelop the area and improve residents’ living conditions by:

• Restoring infrastructure to create mixed-use affordable housing.

• Improving recreational facilities.

• Ensuring activity mobility is accessible. 

• Boosting climate resilience through urban greening, nature-based solutions and clean energy.

The jury panel who evaluated all submitted projects consisted of the following members:

• Tânia Scofield, President | Mario Leal Ferreira Foundation 
• Fernanda Lordêlo, Lawyer & Secretary | Municipal Secretariat for Women's, Children's and Youth Policies
• Cristiane Borda, Architect, Urban Planner & Specialist in Urban-Environmental Planning and Management
• Joaquim Gonçalves, Local Architect & Urban Planner
• Barbara Cesar Barros, Senior Adaptation Finance Manager | C40 Cities