Students Chen Lu, Master of Urban Design and Master of Landscape Architecture; Cheng Kuan Kan (Kevin), Master of Urban Planning and Master of Science in Environment; Jia Fang, Master of Urban Planning; Ka Yan Tsang, Master of Architecture; and Xin Miao Yong, Master of Architecture, received an Honorable Mention in the 2014 Urban Land Institute (ULI)/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition for their project "Flood Harvest." Assistant Professor of Architecture El Hadi Jazairy was the faculty advisor.

"Flood Harvest" leverages upon the flood-prone riverfront site of Sulphur Dell in Nashville by turning it into a potential for urban development. During a major flood event, a waterfront wetland park, series of pocket ponds and large retention pond are filled in succession to ensure the resiliency of the district. The retained floodwater will be cleaned and treated in the living machine and then harvested to be redistributed to the surrounding area. During the dry season, these landscape features can be used as play, leisure or performance areas. "Flood Harvest" aims to be a catalyst for the redevelopment of other under-utilized, flood-prone waterfront areas in Nashville.

From left to right: Cheng Kuan Kan (Kevin), Chen Lu, Jia Fang, Ka Yan Tsang, Xin Miao Yong, and El Hadi Jazairy.

The ULI/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition, now in its 12th year, is an urban design and development challenge for graduate students. The Hines Competition challenges multidisciplinary student teams to devise a comprehensive development program for a real, large-scale site. Student teams comprising at least three disciplines have two weeks to develop solutions that include drawings, site plans, tables, and market-feasible financial data.