The first thing that a visitor to Avenir (ah-vuh-neer) would notice is its ribbon of lush gardens and parks. Avenir, on the banks of the sparkling Domani River, is one lively town. Many scientists work in its state-of-the-art research facilities. Citizens enjoy world-class museums and libraries and clean, speedy transportation.
Ready to move in? Not so fast. This dream city exists only in the bright imaginations of three eighth graders from Riverview Junior/Senior High School in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. Their plan for Avenir (the word means "future" in French) took first place in the 12th-annual Future City Competition on February 25. The competition is part of National Engineers Week.
"We used waterfalls in some of our designs," said team member Cara Hartz, 13. "We were inspired by a house called Fallingwater, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright."
Allison Garda, also 13, said, "Our model showed a lot of open space and environmentally friendly systems."
Teams from more than 1,100 schools competed. Each team included three students, a teacher and a professional engineer. The teams had to use SimCity 3000 software to design a city of the future. Then they made a 3-D model with materials that could cost no more than $100 total. The final 33 teams also had to answer judges' questions about how their city would work, including how they would balance its budget and dispose of trash.
"We worked on this since last summer," said Natalie French, 14. "We all play soccer together, and we're all in band. It was hard to manage our time, but we worked really well together." Their next group project will be to enjoy their prize: a trip to space camp this summer!