News
& Media
Press Release
August 25, 2023
University District Named International Finalist in Fast Company’s 2023 Innovation by Design Awards
Celebrating more than a decade of Innovation by Design, the 2023 honorees include projects, products, and services from Adobe, PepsiCo, Canva, and others.
University District has been honored in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards for 2023 in the Urban Design Category, which recognizes built projects that improve cities and neighbourhoods from around the world.
The Innovation by Design Awards, which can be found in the September 2023 issue of Fast Company, honor the designers and businesses solving the most crucial problems of today and anticipating the pressing issues of tomorrow. The competition, now in its 12th year, features a range of blue-chip companies, emerging startups, and hungry young talents. It is one of the most sought-after design awards in the industry.
Calgary’s University District has been named a finalist in Fast Company’s 2023 Innovation by Design Awards.
Says Gregg Callander, Interim CEO of University of Calgary Properties Group, “University District is unlike any other community in Calgary, and we are honoured to be internationally recognized amongst visionary projects in China, San Francisco, Toronto, Mexico City and other corners of the world. This type of recognition is a true testament to the innovative mindset of our entire team, which includes valued partners, to create an amazing community where people, organizations and businesses can thrive.”
“So much innovation news these days is focused on AI,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “This year’s Innovation by Design honorees are a reminder that it’s human ingenuity that drives invention.”
Honorees for the 2023 awards were selected in the following categories: Accessible Design; Apps and Games; Artificial Intelligence; Automotive; Best Design Asia-Pacific; Best Design Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Best Design Latin America; Best Design North America; Biodesign; Branding; Circular Design; Crypto, Blockchain, and Web3; Data Design; Design Company of the Year; Enduring Impact: 15+ Years in Business; Enterprise; Established Excellence: 5–14 Years in Business; Experience Design; Experimental; Fashion and Beauty; Finance; General Excellence; Graphic Design; Health; Home; Hospitality; Impact; Large Business: 1,000+ Employees; Learning; Marketing; Materials; Midsize Business: 100–999 Employees; On the Rise: 0–4 Years in Business; Packaging; Pandemic Action; Products; Rapid Response; Retail; Security; Small Business: Fewer Than 100 Employees; Social Justice; Spaces and Places; Sports and Recreation; Students; Sustainability; Transportation; Urban Design; User Experience; Wellness; and Workplace.
The judges include renowned designers from a variety of disciplines, business leaders from some of the most innovative companies in the world, and Fast Company’s own writers and editors. Entries are judged on the key ingredients of innovation: functionality, originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural impact, and business impact.
Winners, finalists, and honorable mentions are featured online, and winners and finalists are featured in the issue of Fast Company magazine, on newsstands August 29, 2023.
To see the complete list, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/innovation-by-design/list.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
About University District
To the west of the University of Calgary and overlooking the Bow River and Rocky Mountains, University District is a comprehensive 200-acre community with a bold new vision for urban life in Calgary. Through a collaborative, people-first design process, the Master Plan and thorough engagement program forged strong respect between the local stakeholders and UCPG. The neighborhood applies the best ideas in city design and incorporates the wants and needs of surrounding legacy communities – weaving current aesthetic, technology, and lifestyle options into the strong social fabric of the city. University District is the 2022 national winner of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) Award for Best Growing Community.
For more information about University District, visit its Discovery Centre at 4410 University Ave. N.W., Calgary (just north of the Alberta Children’s Hospital) or go online: myuniversitydistrict.ca and visit Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, #UDLife.
Media Contacts:
Jacqueline Tran
University of Calgary Properties Group
jtran@ucpg.ca
(403) 903-6024
Paula Worthington
Worthington PR & Story
paula@worthingtonpr.com
(403) 585-2429