Aquachickenopolis, the vision of students from Dodge Middle School in Farmington, was the winner of the "Building Quality Communities" special award at the 2015 Future City Regional Finals held in January.LMC is a co-sponsor of the Future City program and the Building Quality Communities special award.
Teams of 6-8th graders from across the state brought their best and most imaginative city models to the University of Minnesota for a day of presentations and judging. League staff attended to review entries for the special award, and to choose a winner that demonstrates how a city government can improve the quality of life for its citizens.
Highlights from teams judged for the award included a post-apocalyptic island city rescue squad (that's a city service, right?), a Star Wars-themed health clinic, and rocket-powered wheel chairs.
What did we love about Aquachickenopolis? A centrally located city hall. Services distributed throughout the city. An industrial port being used for economic development. Great placemaking features like sports fields, a museum, and public transportation. Clean energy.
The group of 6th-grade students behind Aquachickenopolis were all first-timers to the competition, according to Dodge Middle School's Future City mentor Kristin Ammerman.Ammermen said she was impressed by how well the team worked together, and described Aquachickenopolis as both "functional and aesthetically pleasing."
We agree. Great job to all the students who presented their projects at this year's finals. We're already eager to see what next year's competition brings.
See who won the Building Quality Communities special award in 2014
Learn more about the Future City Competition