What if the UK was past peak car? And what if the way we built new settlements and invested in public transport meant fewer cars on the roads? What should we do then about our oversized roads and redundant car parks?
Space dedicated to parking, mostly used for private vehicles, is the most unproductive and dated use of valuable land. Reclamation at scale could make a massive difference to providing affordable new housing or community uses, improving biodiversity, cutting pollution, and creating doorstep play and landscapes to love.
And that reclamation is what this year’s LDA Design Bursary Challenge is all about.
We want students to rethink a car park or road near where they live or study. What could it become? Step into it and imagine a different world. Research ideas and interventions so that they meet a genuine local need. What is the local community missing? And how can your design make a genuine difference? We want to see bold, joined-up thinking and evidence that your proposals would make good use of reclaimed space.
We’d like you to describe your intervention and why it is needed in 500 words, backed up by a plan, diagrams or visualisations, including a standalone ‘hero’ image.
Three students currently studying in the UK will receive a bursary of £2,000, plus four weeks’ paid work experience in one of our studios. Several bursary winners have gone on to join our team, so it really is a fantastic opportunity.
At least one bursary will be awarded to someone who has faced financial or other challenges to pursuing further education. Undergraduate and postgraduate students can enter and judging will take account of levels of experience.
The deadline for The Great Reclamation is midnight on Friday 20th February 2026.
Download the 2025-26 application form.
Good luck, everyone. The results will be announced in March. Tick tock.
