The city is a fundamental and universal human creation. It is a unique centre for social life as well as individual and collective fulfilment. The frantic, irreversible urban growth that societies throughout the world have experienced over the past few decades has caused a transformation of cities and agglomerations, which rarely corresponds to inhabitants legitimate needs, expectations, and aspirations.

The Celebration of Cities, initiated by UIA President Jaime Lerner, aims to encourage architects to undertake real actions to support cities and their municipalities through concrete projects designed to improve the local lifestyle and renew the qualities of our cities, their capacity to engender communication, solidarity, and creativity. This celebration also offers architects an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and know-how by playing the leading role in a practical and sustainable renaissance of the world's cities.

Launched by the UIA in June 2003 within the framework of the Celebration of Cities, the international consultation was addressed to both architects and students of architecture. Its objective is to collect their ideas and create a global database of inventive ways to repair and heal the nerve points of the city, thus opening the way to a more generalised improvement that will be felt on the long term.

Like acupuncture needles, the projects were to be simple and have an immediate effect, while remaining economical. They may apply to the daily life of the city’s inhabitants, or address extreme situations; take place in the heart of the city, or at its most external limits. The actions may touch on problems relating to the environment, industry, communication, commerce, basic amenities, transportation, security, housing, education, culture, or public services. Projects should integrate the notion of sustainability.

This consultation also received the support of UNESCO.

Divided into two categories, one for architects and one for students of architecture, the consultation involved three stages: local, national, and international.

All projects were adjudicated anonymously.

All of the UIA Member Sections were asked to oversee the organisation of the local and national levels of the consultation. At the conclusion of each national adjudication, the national juries were charged with selecting a maximum of five projects in each category to be submitted to the international jury.

The international jury for the Celebration of Cities international consultation met in Paris on March 16 – 18, 2004.

Chaired by Jaime LERNER (Brazil), UIA President, the international jury was made up of the UIA Bureau members:

• UIA Immediate Past President : Vassilis SGOUTAS (Greece)
• UIA Secretary General : Jean Claude RIGUET (France)
•UIA Treasurer : Donald J. HACKL (United States of America)
• UIA First Vice-President : Gaetan SIEW (Region V - Mauritius)
• UIA Second Vice-President : Jose Luis CORTES DELGADO (Region III - Mexico)
• UIA Vice-President (Region I) : Peter HANNA (Ireland)
• UIA Vice-President (Region II) : Yuri GNEDOVSKI (Russia)
• UIA Vice-President (Region IV) : Louise COX (Australia)
• and Wolfgang TOCHTERMANN, representing UNESCO,
Director of the UIA International Competitions Commission.

This jury selected the winners for the following prizes.
• Two grand prizes of 5 000 Euro each (one per category)
• Eight prizes of 1 000 Euro
• Twenty honourable mentions.

All of the above projects will be exhibited at the UIA World Congress in Istanbul (Turkey), on July 4 –8, 2005.

The jury examined 193 projects, 94 projects in the student category and 99 in the professional category
The Member Sections in the following 29 countries participated in the Celebration of Cities international consultation:
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, France, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Macao, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, People's Republic of China, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA.

Region I
Prize
Atelier 42 Pixel: Joe Verons, Marjan Hessamfar (France)
Honourable mentions
- Brigitte Holz, Freischlad + Holz (Germany)
- Miguel Angel Paredes Maldonado (Spain)

Region II
Prize
Cem Ilhan, Tulin Hadi, Sevinc Hadi, Esra Gemici, Isil Ekin Calak (Turkey)
Honourable mentions
- Ali Özer (Turkey)
- Eleni Emmanolopoulou, Maria Krisilia, Giouli Psallida (Greece)
- Victor Zoubkov, Ilia Zoubkov, Evgueni Tikhomirov, Alena Tikhomirova, Natalia Bibikova (Russia)

Region III
No prize awarded
Honourable mentions
- Fernando de la Carrera, Alejandro Cavanzo, Guillermo Rubio Jauregui (Colombia)
- Jeff Shannon, Stephen Luoni (USA)

Region IV
Prize
Gerard Lynch, Elizabeth Anderson, Justin Wells, Carolyne Jamieson, Michelle Mantsio, Suzanne Wynter, Troy Chambers, Roslyn Scarcella - Kevin Hayes Architects (Australie)
Honourable mentions
- Liu Yubo, Huang Quanle, Wu Zhongping, Zheng Shaopeng, Li Tao (People's Republic of China)
- Shinya Yanagisawa, Yoko Yanagisawa (Japan)
- Gordon Moller, Craig Moller, Blair Farquhar, Jason Dobbs, Mathew Brown, Aaron Paterson, Jonathan Gibb (New Zealand)

Region V
Prize ex-aequo
- Ebrahim Abdelhady, Eslam Alsamahy, Riham Alrasoul (Egypt)
- Barbara Southworth, Elizabeth Foale, Liezel Du Preez, Roberta Gould, Trevor Lee, Astrid Von Brucken, Sopna Nair (South Africa)
Honourable mentions
- Piet Louw, Dave Dewar, Anton Roux (South Africa)

Region I
Prize
Colin Priest (United Kingdom)
Honourable mentions
- Julien Rouby, Julie Hemmerle (France)
- Maria Jose Lorenzo Salvo, Conrado Enria, Esther Casal Gimenez (Spain)

Region II
Prix
Flora Bougiatioti, Aineias Oikonomou, Evangelos Evangelinos (Greece)
Honourable mentions
- Adib Nabil Dada (Lebanon)
- Nelly Audi (Lebanon)

Region III
Prix
Dolores Boero, Ana Maria Castellote, Jose Agustin Puglisi (Argentina)
Honourable mention
Team directed by Antonio Gil Burgoin (Mexico)

Region IV
Prix
Shin Ji-Won, Lee Doo-Ho, Kim Dong Hee (Republic of Korea)
Honourable mentions
- Supachai Sriworakul, Supachet Op-Aom, Surachet Kedpanich, Weerayuth Yimpranee, Kunlayaporn . Wattapoj, Teerati Bonamcheaw (Thailand)
- Peng Yuru, Li Suning (People's Republic of China)

Region V
No prize awarded
Honourable mentions
- Eslam Said Ali, Amr Abdul-Hamid Elshikh, Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed Osman (Egypt)
- Ahmed Hatem Hussein, Ahmed Yousry Raouf Gouda, Ayman Osman Ahmed Osman, Islam Sadek Tawfik, Sarry Abdelhady Bedewi, Mohamed Mustafa Abdelkader, Bassem Mohamed Ali El-Shanawany (Egypt).