Two Student Teams Awarded ULI Hines Competition Honorable Mention

April 7, 2020
Teams include students within the School of Architecture’s Urban Design, Landscape Architecture, Community & Regional Planning, and Architecture programs, as well as students from the McCombs School of Business.
Los Tres Enlaces project image

Two multidisciplinary teams of students from the University of Texas at Austin have been awarded Honorable Mentions in the 2020 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Hines Competition. This year, 113 teams from 56 different university campuses across the United States and Canada participated in the annual competition, from which four finalists and nine honorable mentions were selected.   

Now in its 18th year, the ULI Hines Student Competition offers graduate students the opportunity to form their own multidisciplinary teams and engage in a challenging exercise in responsible land use. As part of the annual competition, teams of five students pursuing degrees in at least three different disciplines have two weeks to devise a comprehensive design and development program for a real, large-scale site in a North American site.

This year’s competition focused on a site in Miami, Florida between the Wynwood and Edgewater neighborhoods. Students were asked to evaluate the potential of the site to create a thriving, mixed-use neighborhood around a commuter train station, addressing affordability, sustainability and resilience.

The two teams from The University of Texas at Austin that were awarded honorable mention include students within the School of Architecture’s Urban Design, Landscape Architecture, Community & Regional Planning and Architecture programs, as well as students from the McCombs School of Business.

The teams that were awarded Honorable Mention include:

“Los Tres Enlaces,” by Kaitlin Schuette, MSUD (Team Leader); Kaiyu Zhou, MSUD; Ziyue Zhang, MSUD; Hank Biddle, MBA; and Paul Books, MSCRP

“Los Tres Enlaces” is a new model of progressive transit-oriented development within a diverse urban context founded on three pillars: social, environmental, and economic resilience. Through its alignment with initiatives at the neighborhood, district, and city scale, the project breaks barriers in its offering of a fresh perspective on sustainable development practice.

Jury Comments:
The jury recognized the strength of the station as a central, iconic node that did not dominate the block and was surrounded by a good mix of buildings and open spaces. The jury also recognized the use of a “right to remain” policy within the affordable housing strategy to mitigate displacement.


“La Plaza Civica” by Cheng Xie, MSUD (Team Leader); Yuwei Shen, MLA; Yuqing Yang, MSUD, Jennifer Pranskevich, MArch, Suong Trang, MBA

“La Plaza Civica” denotes the significance of the city, district, and the station. The Plaza is the grande access to the station, a living heart reconnecting the city. It serves residents, welcomes visitors, and provides critical environmental services, while heightening the significance of Midtown Miami’s unique identity.

Jury Comments:
The jury recognized that the team carried forth their vision into a cohesive development with a good mix of uses and smart phasing. Their board is comprehensive, managing to share a lot of detail and still tell a clear story. This team also did a particularly good job of accounting for infrastructure costs.


For more information about the ULI Hines Competition visit: https://americas.uli.org/programs/awards-competitions/hines-student-design-competition/2020-uli-hines-student-competition-finalists-and-honorable-mentions/