CURB (Centre for Architecture and Urbanism) announced in a statement on Tuesday the return of its “Placeable City | Placemaking Competition in Hengqin”, inviting participants to propose community-driven public space interventions for three locations in Hengqin aimed at strengthening urban identity and social interaction.
First launched in 2024, the competition focuses on placemaking* concepts that encourage public participation and more people-orientated urban environments, the statement said.
According to the statement, this year’s edition centres on three designated sites in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin: the Macau New Neighbourhood (MNN), Hengqin Checkpoint Square, and Hengqin Pier Waterfront.
The statement noted that the initiative aims to encourage urban exchanges between Hengqin and Macau amid ongoing integration between the two places through policy support and shared resources, adding that the competition also seeks to promote greater public engagement with architecture, urbanism and the built environment.
The statement underlined that participants are free to define the scope and scale of their proposals within the selected sites. The statement also said that project submissions should reflect the core principles of placemaking by observing, engaging, designing, narrating and activating public spaces in ways that revitalise neighbourhood streetscapes.
The competition is open for registration (https://competition.curb-center.com/placemaking-2026-edition/) and awards cash prizes and certificates to winning entries, the statement said, adding that the submitted works will be reviewed by a panel of judges, with selected projects to be featured in a winners’ exhibition.
According to the statement, the submission deadline for the “Placeable City | Placemaking Competition in Hengqin” is July 26.
*Placemaking is a collaborative, community-driven philosophy of urban design and planning that transforms ordinary public spaces into vibrant, meaningful places where people want to gather, interact, and spend time. Instead of treating a space purely as physical infrastructure (like a simple concrete plaza or a transit corridor), placemaking looks at how human beings will socially and culturally connect with it. It shifts the focus from form to function and feeling. – Gemini
This poster provided by CURB (Centre for Architecture and Urbanism) on Tuesday promotes its upcoming “Placeable City | Placemaking Competition in Hengqin”, now open for registration online through July 26.
