In the Future City Competition, middle school students imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue. The 2017-2018 theme was “The Age-Friendly City”, so students were tasked with designing a futuristic city that takes into account issues faced by senior citizens, including mobility, health care, and social issues. Students must design their city virtually in SimCity, write an essay describing their city, construct a model of their city from primarily recycled materials, and present this model to judges. The competition teaches students about real-world issues and the roles that engineering plays in society, as well as promotes teamwork, writing, and public speaking skills.
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Keck & Wood participated in the 2017-2018 Future City Competition by helping to judge the City Models and Presentations. It was very interesting to see how the students addressed the topic of “The Age-Friendly City” through improvements such as health monitoring and improved transit. The students were also very creative with the materials used in their models and their presentations, many opting to do the presentation as a skit, rather than a traditional presentation.