Students of Department of Urban Regional Planning (URP) of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) achieved outstanding success in a nation-wide planning case competition arranged for undergraduate planning students. The competition was organized by the department of Urban and Regional Planning, BUET as a part of project title, “Engaging Young Minds to Understand and Communicate Urban Problems”. EMK (Partnership Organization of Liberation War Museum and American Center of US embassy) –Aronno small grant-2014 funded the project. The project aimed at identifying various urban problems by university students of URP departments throughout the country and how they can be solved by promoting small scale but significant behavioural changes by the citizens themselves. Student of URP Departments of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Khulna University (KU), Jahangirnagar University (JU), Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) participated in the competition. Submissions for the competition were received in four phases. In the first call of the competition 53 entries were submitted. Top ten submissions were selected for the final phase. Finally, three submissions by the students of URP, KUET were awarded the first, second and third positions. The adjudicator panel for this competition consisted of two Project Coordinators Dr. Md. Musleh Uddin Hasan and Dr. Afsana Haque from URP, BUET and one faculty from each of the rest planning schools. Mr. Muhammad Salaha Uddin, Assistant Professor, URP, KUET, represented in the adjudicator panel. The prize giving ceremony was arranged on December 19, 2014 at ITN conference room of BUET. Prof. Khaleda Ekram-Vice-chancellor of BUET; Anne McConnel-Public Affairs officer US Embassy; M.K Aaref- Director Emk Center adorned the prize giving ceremony as chief guest and special guests respectively. Dr. Shakil Akter-Head Dept of URP, BUET chaired ceremony.

List of award winning students and their presented topics in the competition:

1st Place: Sourav Bhadra (URP 2K10)

Tanbir Sazid (URP 2K10)

Presented Topic: Pedestrian Insecurity

2nd Place: K.M. Mohiuddin Ekram (URP 2K11)—

A.H.M Mainul Islam (URP 2K11)

Presented Topic: Urban Water Logging; Who is to Blame?

3rd Place: Gunjan Barua (URP 2k11)

Anindya Sundar Mridha (URP 2k11)

Presented Topic: Absence of Community Participation in Urban Problem Solving Process