They used technology to meet the challenges of urban design. "We feel good design should evolve to a point where a sustainable and better tomorrow is the central goal in the use of technology and process," explains team leader Shachi Pandey.

Technology can make a significant contribution in helping building and design firms create more livable environments, she says. The judges apparently agreed. They selected a plan drafted by Pandey's team to redevelop a site in Dallas over proposals submitted by other competition finalist teams from the University of Michigan, the University of Texas at Austin and another team from the University of Pennsylvania.

The competition challenged graduate students pursuing real estate-related degrees to create a practical, workable scheme for the design and redevelopment of a site south of Downtown Dallas. Located in the city's Cedars neighborhood, the site is bordered by the northern edge of the Interstate 30 right-of-way; the South Central Expressway; the railroad right-of-way between and paralleling Corinth Street and Grand Avenue; and South Austin Street.