Politecnico di Torino wins Tsinghua global award
A collaborative urban planning project led by a Politecnico di Torino PhD candidate has taken first place at the Tsinghua Global SDG Case Competition, mole24.it reported. Alp Arda secured the top honor at the final round on Nov. 1, 2026, held at the Tsinghua University School of Public Policy and Management in Beijing. The international competition focused on sustainable development case studies, drawing more than 1,000 initial candidates across 45 countries.
Organizers narrowed the field through multiple rounds, admitting 354 participants to the second phase before selecting 24 finalists to present their work in China. The winning project emerged from a joint academic pathway between the Politecnico di Torino and Tsinghua University, which examines transnational architectural models and urban planning approaches.
The Kartal neighborhood transformation study
The award-winning research focuses on the participatory urban transformation of the Kartal district in Istanbul. The study developed from a workshop titled The Great Game | Istanbul, held from Aug. 29 to Sept. 8, 2026, which treated municipal planning as a structured negotiation between competing local interests.
During the workshop, 21 students selected from 145 applicants were divided into teams representing various urban stakeholders. Participants assumed the perspectives of public institutions, local residents, private enterprises, real estate developers, and cultural organizations to draft future planning scenarios.
The workshop produced seven distinct design proposals compiled across 14 presentation boards. This methodology builds upon previous applications of The Great Game framework, which was previously tested in urban contexts including Detroit, Kiruna, and Belgrade.
Future integration into the China Case Bank
The victory expands the academic reach of the Turin institution by embedding its practical pedagogy into international research archives. mole24.it reported that the winning case study may be integrated into the China Case Bank for Public Policy and Management. The competition structure reduced the initial pool of over 1,000 applicants down to 354 contenders, culminating in the selection of 24 finalists who traveled to Beijing for the final evaluation.
Competition final presentation date
When did the final round of the competition take place?
The final presentation of the Tsinghua Global SDG Case Competition 2026 took place on Nov. 1, 2026, at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
How many students participated in the Istanbul workshop?
A total of 21 students participated in the workshop after being selected from 145 total applicants.
What specific neighborhood in Istanbul did the study examine?
The research analyzed the participatory urban transformation and planning strategies focused on the Kartal district of Istanbul.