Recently, the winners of the 61st International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) World Congress Annual Student Competition were announced. A team from College of Architecture and Urban Planning, co-supervised by Professor Zhang Ming, director of Landscape Architecture debarment and Associate Professor Shen Jie, and consisting of students Luo Yanhao, Lin Yunshan, Deng Yucheng, Liu Jia, and Shi Ruixiang, secured the sole Special Prize for their work titled Guided Urban Infrastructure Project: Preservation-oriented Renewal Towards Improved Urban Living.

IFLA, established in 1948, represents the global landscape architecture profession with 80 member associations across Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe. The IFLA World Congress, known as the Olympics of the landscape architecture industry, features a significant student competition. This year's event took place at the Conference Center in Nantes, France, with categories including Landscape Planning, Landscape Design, and Applied Research, each awarding first, second, and third prizes, plus one Special Prize.

The winning project introduces an innovative guided infrastructure renewal model for urban development, focusing on five key infrastructures: slow-moving traffic, green ecology, public spaces, service facilities, and historical heritage. By systematically integrating and optimizing these elements, the project aims to foster positive urban development, creating more inclusive, resilient, and culturally rich living environments. Focusing on a riverside area in the middle section of Suzhou Creek in Shanghai, the project addresses issues such as complex traffic conditions and uneven green space distribution through data-driven planning methods, ensuring scientific and rational urban renewal.