Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro '14, an architecture alum from the University of Notre Dame, received the Congress for the New Urbanism’s (CNU) Charter Award Student Grand Prize for his project “Cities of a New Port Metropolis, Guatemala.” Bollat Montenegro accepted the award on April 30th, during the 14th annual Charter Awards in Dallas, Texas. His project advisor, Professor Douglas Duany, was also honored for his contributions.
Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro "Cities or a New Port Metropolis, Guatemala"
Bollat Montenegro’s idea was simple; ports should be cities again. His project focused on three premises: maritime trade will always be important, the current tide of hyper-globalization will give way to more localized manufacturing, and “free trade districts” in ports will cease to exist, for the entire city will be a place for free trade.
“Not only is this a beautifully drawn project,” said Charter Awards jury member Hank Dittmar, “it brings a powerful theory of urbanism to life.”
Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro, "Cities of a New Port Metropolis, Guatemala"
In addition to “Cities of a New Port Metropolis”, two other Notre Dame student projects were recognized with Student Merit Awards: one focusing on LaFox, Illinois (Graduate Urban Studio ’14, Professor Philip Bess, advisor) and the other one in Lafayette, Louisiana (Graduate Urban Studio ’13, John and Jennifer Griffin, advisors).
The Charter Awards are given annually to outstanding achievements in design and planning by the nonprofit Congress for the New Urbanism, a national group devoted to building walkable, sustainable neighborhoods. With over 2600 members working in communities across North America—from urban centers to historic small towns—CNU connects and empowers the professionals, leaders, advocates, and citizens creating places people love.