February 13, 2025
Tasked this year with designing a floating city, the students imagined communities that keep residents healthy and safe amid the challenges of changing water levels and weather patterns.
The 2025 Philadelphia Future City competition was held at Archbishop John Carroll High School and featured city designs from roughly thirty teams of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students from around the DVRPC region. Tasked this year with designing a floating city, the students imagined communities that keep residents healthy and safe amid the challenges of changing water levels and weather patterns. Many groups explored themes of water engineering, ocean restoration, sustainable transportation modes, and connections to coastlines. Models were constructed using found materials, demonstrating students’ creativity and ingenuity.
This year, DVRPC’s Award for Excellence in Regional Planning was presented to Our Lady of Good Counsel (Southampton, PA). The middle school students’ floating city, named Paraekaoa, addressed goals put forth in DVRPC’s Long Range Plan—sustainability, equity, and resilience. In their presentation, the students noted their intention of creating a safe and healthy home for both above ground and underwater residents, from their inclusion of accessible pedestrian bridges connecting the city’s islands to their efforts to restore the coral reefs below the islands’ surfaces and limit their city’s impact on water pollution. The students stood out among other groups by paying special attention to preserving and connecting with the unique cultural character of New Zealand, where they chose to locate their city, and by providing ways to not only live and work in their city, but to also play. The team’s work represented a holistic understanding of the interconnected systems at the core of regional planning.